After the one-two punch of “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” it’s safe to predict that Berry Jenkins will be able to do any project he wants for the rest of his career. Both films are two of the most critically revered films in recent memory. While “Beale Street” didn’t collect as many awards as “Moonlight” (a tall order there), they cement Jenkins’ legacy as one of the great African-American film directors.
It’s a bit unexpected, then, that Jenkins has chosen a limited series for Amazon Prime as his next project. However, given the pedigree of its source material, “The Underground Railroad” is likely to be another Jenkins masterclass, albeit this time for the small screen.
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Based on Colson Whitehead‘s 2016 novel of the same name, “The Underground Railroad” takes place in an alternate history where the title’s metaphor is a quite literal subterranean train that helps slaves escape the South to freedom. The series follows two slaves as they flee from a Georgia plantation and use the secret transport system to seek asylum up north with a notorious slave catcher on their heels.
No stranger to literary adaptations (Jenkins adapted ‘Beale Street’ from a 1974 novel of the same name by James Baldwin), Jenkins has chosen a formidable book to turn into a TV show. Whitehead’s novel won the 2016 National Book Award and 2017 Pulitzer Prize, the first book to do so in twenty years. It was also on the longlist for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.
The show stars Thusu Mbedu and Aaron Pierre as the leads, Cora and Caesar. Cora will be Mbedu’s first role in an American production after a lengthy career in South African television. The cast is rounded out by Joel Edgerton, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper, Sheila Atim, Amber Gray, Peter De Jersey, Chukwudi Iwuji, Damon Herriman, Lily Rabe, Irone Singleton, Mychal-Bella Bowman, Marcus “MJ” Gladney, Jr., Will Poulter and Peter Mullan.
The limited series, exclusive to Amazon Prime, will run eleven episodes, all written and directed by Jenkins. Will Jenkins’ latest adaptation be as successful as “Beale Street” and a stellar introduction of his talents to episodic TV format? It’s hard not to have high expectations for this one, but audiences must wait until May 14 to find out. Watch the first official teaser trailer below.