The Oscar winner director Barry Jenkins is set to helm The Underground Railroad, an eleven episodes TV series for Amazon.
The project, that just got greenlighted by Amazon, is based on the novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead and recounts the story of Cora and Caesar, two slaves who work in a plantation in Georgia and who make a plan to escape slavery by following The Underground Railroad. The railway becomes a symbol of freedom and a chance to escape slavery for the two protagonists.
Asked about the project, Jenkins has spoken fondly about it, confessing that what drew him to it was the chance to tell a story about a strong heroine, who “has a very rich interior life because she lives in a town where she can’t express herself externally”.
This uneasiness and craving for freedom seems like a recurring theme for Jenkins, who has just recently directed the critical acclaimed Moonlight, a coming of age story about a black man struggling with his sexuality, that won him an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Supporting Actor.
With director Barry Jenkins behind the camera and Amazon Studios to foresee the project, The Underground Railroad is already creating buzz within the television scene and it will definitely be one to keep an eye on in the next TV shows season.
#Peace.Love.TheUndergroundRailroad
