‘The Underground Railroad’ trailer: Thuso Mbedu is on the run from Joel Edgerton in limited series from Barry Jenkins

Amazon Prime Video revealed today the official trailer and key art for the highly anticipated Amazon Original limited series The Underground Railroad, from Academy Award–winner Barry Jenkins, which will premiere all episodes on May 14 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The 10-episode limited series is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead.

The Underground Railroad chronicles Cora Randall’s (newcomer Thuso Mbedu) desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping a 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.

Over the course of her journey, Cora is pursued by Ridgeway (Golden Globe nominee Joel Edgerton), a bounty hunter who is fixated on bringing her back to the plantation she escaped; especially since her mother Mabel is the only one he has never caught.

As she travels from state to state, Cora contends with the legacy of the mother that left her behind and her own struggles to realize a life she never thought was possible. 

The Underground Railroad also stars Chase W. Dillon, Aaron Pierre, Emmy Award nominee William Jackson Harper, Sheila Atim, Amber Gray, Peter De Jersey, Chukwudi Iwuji, Damon Herriman, Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe, Irone Singleton, Mychal-Bella Bowman, Marcus “MJ” Gladney, Jr., BAFTA Rising Star winner Will Poulter and Peter Mullan round out the cast.

Barry Jenkins serves as showrunner and directs all ten episodes of the limited series. He executive produces alongside Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt, Richard Heus, Jacqueline Hoyt and Colson Whitehead. The Underground Railroad is a production of Plan B, Pastel and Big Indie with Amazon Studios.