Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio revive long-awaited adaptation of ‘The Devil in the White City’

Los Angeles, Jan 23 (PTI) Hollywood veteran Martin Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio are revisiting “The Devil in the White City”, the long-gestating feature adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 true-crime nonfiction book.

The project, which has been in various stages of development for over two decades, is now back on track at 20th Century Studios.

The film is in an early stage of development and does not have a script currently, according to entertainment news outlet The Hollywood Reporter.

Scorsese and DiCaprio, who have worked together on films such as “Gangs of New York”, “The Aviator”, “The Departed”, “Shutter Island”, “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Killers of the Flower Moon”, will produce the project along with Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn and Jennifer Davisson.

“The Devil in the White City” tells the true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were forever linked by The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

It follows Daniel H. Burnham, a brilliant and fastidious architect racing to make his mark on the world and Henry H. Holmes, a handsome and cunning doctor who fashioned his own pharmaceutical ‘Murder Castle’ on fair grouradhikands — a palace built to seduce, torture and mutilate young women. 

DiCaprio bought the film rights to the book in 2010 and previously set it up as a feature at Paramount with Scorsese to direct. At the time, DiCaprio was eyeing the role of Holmes.

Before that, Kathryn Bigelow was set to direct an earlier version, while another iteration had Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner attached to the project.

The project transitioned into a television series, greenlit by American streamer Hulu in 2019.

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves and filmmaker Todd Field were onboard the project but exited it by late 2022. Hulu officially shelved the series in March 2023.