One of Martin Scorsesepp longest-running project has another chance to see the light of day.
IndieWire has learned that 20th Century Studios is developing a film adaptation of Erik Larson’s “The The Devil in the White City,” with Scorsese in conversation with direct and frequent collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio in conversation with the star.
First published in 2004, “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” tells the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, following ambitious architect Daniel H. Burnham and the murders of serial killer Dr. HH Holmes which took place during the event.
No script is currently complete, but Scorsese and DiCaprio should be deeply familiar with the material given how much time they’ve spent on it over the past decade.
DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book in 2010 and began developing a film adaptation at Paramount, with Scorsese coming on board as director shortly thereafter. The project was later remade as a limited serieswith Scorsese initially flirting with directing. Both Scorsese and DiCaprio eventually transitioned to executive producer roles on the project, with Todd Field coming on board as director and Keanu Reeves circling the lead role. That iteration of the project was scrapped by Hulu in 2023, and “The Devil in the White City” was considered by many to be dead.
The news is the latest example of Scorsese working to revive passion projects he’s spent decades trying to get off the ground. He has also revisited his long reviled Frank Sinatra biopicwhich has been mired this year in trouble over disputes with the late singer’s estate over the use of his music in the film. DiCaprio has often been linked to the role of Sinatra, and Scorsese reportedly tried to revive the film in 2024 with Jennifer Lawrence.
The busy director has also worked on an independently financed adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s “The Life of Jesus,” which he first planned to shoot in 2024.
The news about the “Devil in the White City” in the 20th century was first reported by Deadline.
Reporting by Brian Welk.
