Fresh off of winning an Oscar for "Moonlight,"Barry Jenkins is moving to the small screen.

Jenkins will write and direct a television adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel "The Underground Railroad" for Amazon. The project has been in development for some time, with "Moonlight" producers Plan B Entertainment on board, and Amazon won the sweepstakes.

"Going back to 'The Intuitionist,' Colson's writing has always defied convention, and 'The Underground Railroad' is no different. It's a groundbreaking work that pays respect to our nation's history while using the form to explore it in a thoughtful and original way," Jenkins said.

"Preserving the sweep and grandeur of a story like this requires bold, innovative thinking and in Amazon we've found a partner whose reverence for storytelling and freeness of form is wholly in line with our vision."

"The Underground Railroad" is a bestselling novel that follows a young slave named Cora who makes a desperate attempt at freedom from a cotton plantation in Georgia. As she travels on the railroad, state by state, she's pursued by a notorious slave catcher.

The real Underground Railroad is already the subject of a popular TV show, "Underground," on WGN America.

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