20th Century Studios Resurrecting “The Devil In The White City”
Over five years ago, it was revealed that Hulu was developing a series based on Erik Larson’s bestselling book “The Devil in the White City” and that Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese were involved in the project as executive producers.
The story follows Dr. HH Holmes, a cunning serial killer believed to have murdered anywhere from 27 to 200 people at a time when the city of Chicago was enthralled with hosting the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The book plays off the contrasts between the hopeful expectations and wonders presented at the exposition and the dark deeds of Holmes, who manoeuvred in its shadows and built a carefully concealed house of horrors.
Since that initial report, the project has been stuck in development limbo and at one point, Keanu Reeves was connected to the series as a potential star and Todd Field was going to direct the first two episodes. Production was initially scheduled to begin in 2022, ahead of a release in 2024, but once Keanu Reeves dropped out of the project, Hulu revealed it wouldn’t be continuing with the show.
But, it looks like the project isn’t completely dead, as Deadline has revealed that 20th Century Studios is picking up “The Devil in the White City” and making it into a theatrical film.
Martin Scorsese is in talks to direct the movie, and Leonardo DiCaprio is also in talks to star in the film. They will both produce the film, along with Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn and DiCaprio’s Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson. Steve Asbell, David Greenbaum and SVP Production Sarah Shepard will be overseeing Devil in the White City for the studio.
Currently, the film doesn’t have a script, so it’s likely that this movie could still be a way off hitting cinemas and streaming services.
Roger’s Take: With Disney refocusing on theatrical releases, this sounds like a win for 20th Century Studios, as taking expensive projects for streaming and moving over to a movie, where the story can be told on a bigger budget since there are more opportunities to reclaim the budget through the box office. I also could see Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese being much more interested in taking a more active role in the film, now that it’s no longer a series for Hulu and Disney+.
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