Amazon to Develop 'The Underground Railroad' Series

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Amazon has greenlit new limited drama series The Underground Railroad, based on Colson Whitehead’s National Book Award winning novel.

The series will be directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and will chronicle the journey of a young slave woman as she makes a bid for freedom in the antebellum South, according to Amazon.

The Underground Railroad will be produced by Pastel (Moonlight) and Plan B (Moonlight, 12 Years A Slave), said the company.

“Colson Whitehead’s book is a sweeping, character driven, boundary destroying epic,” said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Drama and VR for 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.”

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.