Amazon Prime Video has shared the first official trailer for Barry Jenkins’ upcoming limited series The Underground Railroad, based on Colson Whitehead’s eponymous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
In the two-minute clip, we’re introduced to the young slave Cora Randall, played by newcomer Thuso Mbedu. The story kicks off when she flees a Georgia plantation, while a bounty hunter, Ridgeway—played by Joel Edgerton—is in hot pursuit.
Per an official description shared by Amazon, Cora eventually discovers “an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.” Ridgeway, the bounty hunter, is “fixated” on bringing her back.
Jenkins serves as showrunner and director of all 10 episodes, which is pretty evident from the striking visuals above. This thing has the Oscar-winning director’s fingerprints all over it. He also executive produced the series alongside Whitehead, Brad Pitt, Adele Romanski, among others.
Jenkins shared the trailer on Twitter, writing, “The work of the last four years of my life… is yours.”
The limited series also stars Chase W. Dillon, 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.
Watch the stunning first trailer above, and check out The Underground Railroad on May 14, when all 10 episodes drop on Amazon Prime Video.
