‘Devil in the White City’ Could Finally Get a Movie After Being Scrapped

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It appears that the long-awaited movie adaptation of “Devil in the White City,” written by Erik Larson, may finally be taking shape under Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. For over a decade, they’ve been pursuing this project, experiencing several setbacks along the way. Now, it seems that Disney (or more specifically, 20th Century Pictures) might be their new collaborator for this film adaptation based on Larson’s novel about a chilling tale of murder, magic, and insanity during a pivotal time in American history.

According to Deadline’s latest report, 20th Century Pictures has become involved with the movie adaptation of “Devil in the White City.” Leonardo DiCaprio is currently in discussions to take on the lead role, and Martin Scorsese is being considered as the director. Both DiCaprio and Scorsese are set to produce the film alongside Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn, and Jennifer Davisson. At this stage, there is no finalized script for the movie. 20th Century Studios plans to give the film a grand cinematic release on the big screen.

In 2010, I, as a passionate admirer of great stories, found myself thrilled when Leo DiCaprio and his production company, Appian Way, acquired the rights to Erik Larson’s captivating novel, “The Devil in the White City.” Coincidentally, that was also the year that DiCaprio and Scorsese’s masterpiece, “Shutter Island,” graced our cinema screens. This gripping tale is set against the backdrop of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where it weaves the chilling story of H.H. Holmes, a notorious criminal figure often recognized as America’s first serial killer, and Daniel Burnham, the architect behind the World’s Fair.

For years, this captivating narrative seemed to be trapped in development limbo. However, it gained traction when Keanu Reeves was announced to star in a Hulu Original Series, with Todd Fields directing. Alas, the project hit a snag in October 2022 when Reeves left the series. By March 2023, it was officially confirmed that “The Devil in the White City” had been shelved at Hulu. As a fan eagerly waiting for its resurrection, I can only hope that this compelling story finds its way to our screens someday.

Will ‘Devil in the White City’ Be Scorsese and DiCaprio’s Seventh Film Together?

Since Martin Scorsese hasn’t written a script for “The Devil in the White City” yet, it’s likely that he’ll focus on one of his previously announced films first. Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have two other projects planned together, which could mark their seventh collaboration. One of these is “The Wager,” an adaptation of David Grann’s non-fiction novel for Apple Studios. Originally, DiCaprio was slated to play Frank Sinatra in Scorsese’s long-planned project about Sinatra, but that film, along with a new movie based on the life of Jesus Christ, have been postponed indefinitely. More recently, it was announced that he was working on an adaptation of Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Home.” As for what Scorsese will direct next, that remains to be determined.

20th Century Studios and its subsidiary Searchlight Pictures are also benefiting from a successful run lately, and adding “Devil in the White City” to their lineup in 2024 looks like another smart move. Movies like “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Alien: Romulus,” and “A Complete Unknown” were all blockbusters that received positive critical acclaim, contributing significantly to Disney’s success. Offering more mature films from top-tier talent that may not fit with the studio’s usual family-oriented productions seems to be a profitable strategy. With upcoming projects like James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay” and the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” the inclusion of “Devil in the White City” certainly strengthens their collection of films.

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2025-01-23 04:32