Having spent years in cinematic development hell, Erik Larson's excellent novel blending reality and fiction, The Devil In The White City, finally seemed on its way to screens – small, this time, as Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese agreed to shepherd it as executive producers. That was back in 2019 and while the pandemic has gotten in the way of plans, it appears to be back on track at Hulu. And the big news today is that Keanu Reeves is in negotiations to star.
Larson’s scrupulously researched and endlessly compelling tome chronicles two men: Daniel H. Burnham, a brilliant and fastidious architect racing to mark his mark on the world, and serial killer Dr H. H. Holmes, who might not have gained the infamy of Jack the Ripper, but is alleged to have killed a slew of people around the time of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. A weird and charismatic, if ghoulish figure, it’s easy to see why Holmes would appeal to Scorsese and DiCaprio, who originally won the rights to the book in 2010. Since then, it has bounced from Warner Bros. to Paramount and now to its current home.
Though Scorsese had intended to direct and DiCaprio to star when it was aiming to become a film, a TV version might actually offer the scope needed for this story – and Reeves is certainly an impressive hire. No word in Deadline's story as to which of the main two characters he might tackle. Little Children's Todd Field is on board to direct the first two episodes, with Castle Rock and Manhattan creator Sam Shaw leading the writing side.
Fingers crossed this happens, especially with Keanu involved...