Amazon has landed Barry Jenkins’ in-development series adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” the premium streaming network announced Monday.
“Colson Whitehead’s book is a sweeping, character driven, boundary destroying epic,” said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Drama and VR at Amazon Studios, in a statement. “Having Barry bring it to life for Amazon Studios is thrilling. We couldn’t be more excited to see what they create.”
Whitehead’s novel centers on a young slave named Cora and her journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping her Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.
Jenkins will write and direct the project, which was first announced in September. Jenkins will also serve as executive producer through his production company Pastel, and Brad Pitt’s Plan B.
This marks Jenkins’ first project since his “Moonlight” won the Best Picture Oscar last month.