The long in the works movie adaptation of The Devil in the White City just took a big step forward. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios has picked up the film for development. Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star while Martin Scorsese is in talks to direct. If the project moves forward, it will mark the seventh feature film collaboration between the two, whose latest Killers of the Flower Moon was released in 2023. According to the report, this new film is in the earliest stage of collaboration and does not yet have a script.
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The Devil in the White City is based on Erik Larson’s 2003 true crime book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America and follows World’s Fair architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer H.H. Holmes. The novel “intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World’s Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.” The book’s road from page to screen has been a long one. Back in 2010 it was reported that DiCaprio was developing a film based on the book with DiCaprio looking to play the role of Holmes. There have also been versions of the project with Tom Cruise involved as well as Kathryn Bigelow attached to direct.
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Most recently, it was reported back in 2019 that Hulu was developing the book as a series. That version would have had Keanu Reeves set to star with Todd Field directing the first two episodes and both DiCaprio and Scorsese as producers. However, Hulu announced in 2023 that the series was no longer moving forward, putting the adaptation in limbo once again.
Will The Devil in the White City Adaptation Happen?
While this update on the film adaptation of The Devil in the White City is promising, as was noted above this is far from the first time that there’s been some sort of announcement or update about the project — and with the project being in the early stages of development, it’s unclear when audiences could even expect it. It also wouldn’t be the first time a Scorsese project didn’t quite make it to the finish line. It was announced last spring that Scorsese and DiCaprio were already working on a different project together: a new Frank Sinatra biopic. Last year, it was announced that Scorsese would be directing the film with DiCaprio set to star as Frank Sinatra while Jennifer Lawrence would play Sinatra’s second wife, actress Ava Gardner. However, while the film had been set to start production last November, soon after its announcement Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy Sinatra, expressed disapproval of both leads and by mid-August of last year, the start date for filming was cancelled.
Additionally, Scorsese has said he wanted to make a film about the life of Jesus, confirming in 2024 that there was a completed screenplay. However, that film has also been postponed.
Keep checking with ComicBook for updates on The Devil in the White City.