Spike Lee’s work on a planned sports docuseries is being abandoned, to the shock and disappointment of many. Even though fans can’t get enough of the best sports documentaries, Lee and the subject of his planned project sadly don’t see eye to eye.
In 2025, docuseries are surging in popularity while Spike Lee has maintained his stellar Rotten Tomatoes score streak. Despite that, it has been confirmed that work on Lee’s Colin Kaepernick docuseries has ceased.
In August 2025, ESPN confirmed to Reuters that Kaepernick and Lee’s docuseries won’t be happening. ESPN’s statement about the abandoned project can be found below.
“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences. Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”
What This Means For ESPN, Colin Kaepernick, And Spike Lee
Of all the parties involved, it seems like the plans for the docuseries being abandoned will have the biggest effect on Colin Kaepernick. While Colin has remained busy since he left the NFL, he has largely been out of the spotlight. The planned docuseries almost certainly would have changed that.
ESPN likely won’t be thinking about the abandoned Spike Lee and Kaepernick project for long. Between potentially being able to write off any losses and moving on to other ESPN Films projects, it seems very likely the company won’t miss a beat.
In Spike Lee’s case, he will spend much of August 2025 promoting his Denzel Washington movie, Highest 2 Lowest. Following that, Lee’s well-deserved status as a legendary filmmaker will almost certainly allow him to continue crafting his passion projects for as long as he can remain active.
Our Take On Colin Kaepernick And Spike Lee’s Docuseries Being Abandoned
To put it bluntly, it is a real shame that the Spike Lee-helmed docuseries about Colin Kaepernick isn’t happening. Sports and documentary fans alike will now miss out on what could have been a truly fascinating piece of storytelling and art.
As anyone who has followed Kaepernick’s career will already know, he has been the subject of endless headlines over the last decade. While so much attention has been paid to Kaepernick, most observers only have surface-level knowledge of his story and scandal.
With a storyteller as talented as Lee behind the camera, the docuseries could have given the world a much better understanding of the man behind the headlines. Since Lee has never been afraid to tackle controversy, he almost certainly would have put together a nuanced docuseries that showed Kaepernick at his best and worst.
Based on what Spike Lee has accomplished as a filmmaker, it is sad that we may not get to see his telling of Colin Kaepernick’s story.
Source: Reuters
- Birthdate
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March 20, 1957
- Birthplace
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Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Professions
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Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Actor, Professor
- Height
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5 feet 6 inches
