The Underground Railroad, described by HuffPost’s Claire Fallon as “an instant classic,” tells a story of the eponymous railroad familiar to students of American history, filtered through the lens of speculative fiction. The book centers on Cora, a young woman enslaved on a Georgia plantation, who descends into a literal subway system in an attempt to escape into freedom.

“This book has kept me up at night, had my heart in my throat, almost afraid to turn the next page,” Oprah explained in her review of the book.

Adapting Railroad isn’t Jenkins’ first foray into TV. He directed an episode of the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the movie “Dear White People” and an episode of the PBS series “Futurestates.”

According to the NYT, the Amazon production has not officially received the green light; it’s been in development for months, but it’s unclear when it will arrive or how many episodes it will span. If it gets the definitive go-ahead, the show will skip Amazon’s typical pilot procedure and move straight to series.

It’s pretty safe to say this TV show, if and when it comes to fruition, will be a must-see.