- Thursday, January 23, 2025
The project, which has been in various stages of development for over two decades, is now moving forward under 20th Century Studios
By: India Weekly
MARTIN SCORSESE and Leonardo DiCaprio are reigniting efforts to adapt Erik Larson’s 2003 nonfiction book “The Devil in the White City” into a feature film.
The project, which has been in various stages of development for over two decades, is now moving forward under 20th Century Studios.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is in its early stages and does not yet have a script. Scorsese and DiCaprio, who have collaborated on several successful films including “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Killers of the Flower Moon”, will serve as producers alongside Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn, and Jennifer Davisson.
The book tells the intertwined true stories of architect Daniel H. Burnham, who raced to design the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and serial killer H.H. Holmes, who constructed a “Murder Castle” near the fairgrounds to lure and kill young women.
DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book in 2010, initially planning it as a feature film at Paramount, with Scorsese set to direct and himself in the role of Holmes.
Over the years, other iterations of the project included Kathryn Bigelow as director and, at one point, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner as producers.
The adaptation was later reimagined as a Hulu series, with Keanu Reeves and Todd Field briefly attached in 2019.
However, Hulu shelved the project in March 2023 following their departures. This renewed effort marks a return to its original format as a feature film. (PTI)
