*Ava DuVernay is set to adapt the acclaimed nonfiction book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” for Netflix.
The project will be her first feature for the streamer, which she will write, direct, and produce.
DuVernay’s adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s New York Times bestseller will explore the “unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how our lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions dating back generations,” according to a press release, per Complex.
On Instagram, DuVernay wrote, “An honor. Thank you for your work, @isabelwilkerson. Thank you for introducing me to this gem, @oprah. Thank you, @tendo, for giving this project wings. May it soar and bring light.”
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Ava DuVernay will direct, write, and produce a film based on Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.
The New York Times bestselling novel chronicles how our lives are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions dating back generations. pic.twitter.com/kaXhy8Fe2I
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) October 14, 2020
DuVernay is the first Black woman feature director to be nominated for an Academy Award with her documentary “13th.”
She is currently producing the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White,” based on the life of controversial former NFLer Colin Kaepernick.
The six-episode scripted show will examine the early years of the athlete, with Kap lending his voice for narration, Sports Illustrated reports.
The show will highlight the key events of his youth that helped shape the activist that he would become during his NFL career.
“With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally,” DuVernay said in a statement.
Kaepernick hopes the series gives “new perspective” on the Black experience in America.
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” he said. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It’s an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see.”
DuVernay noted when announcing the project in June, “Colin’s story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience. I couldn’t be happier than to tell this story with the team at Netflix.”
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