Uncertainty has plagued the vision and execution of Martin Scorsese’s Devil in the White City. Decades went into the development and production of the series which was to be a feature film but settled yet again on being parried as a series at Hulu in 2019. But the Disney-owned streamer is the latest to pull out of the deal, after reports of Keanu Reeves (lead star) and Todd Field (director) quitting the project hit the newsroom floors a few months ago.
For now, there is no home that seems ready to take in and house the Scorsese project – a statement that feels very rare and scary to consider. With partners, Leo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese left to starve out in the cold, the fate of Devil in the White City seems as bleak as its subject, i.e. Chicago in 1893 itself.
Devil in the White City Still in Limbo After Hulu Backs Out
The proportionate excitement at witnessing a period crime drama involving none other than H. H. Holmes, the first modern serial killer – the epicenter of many haunted legends and ghost stories – and the disappointment at feeling the project lag for over a decade is an unacceptable one.
The story, based on Erik Larson’s eponymous non-fiction novel, explores the murder and mayhem left behind in the aftermath of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in the shadow of which Holmes erected the shrine of what would later become famously known as the Murder Castle.
The project, which is still being promoted and produced by Disney’s ABC Signature, is now looking to acquire The Bear star Jeremy Allen White and Jude Law as leads and Matt Ross as the director. However, it seems as though the cursed project is yet to find stability and permanence in the alleyways and production houses of Hollywood.
The Fate of Devil in the White City Lingers in the Shadows
The period crime drama, Devil in the White City, which is envisioned as an ambitious, horror-inducing, and electrifying tale involving a killer and an architect, is currently in need of a new shop. If that becomes an unviable condition, the stars and director who are currently in talks to commit to the project might not find the Scorsese-backed drama a very tempting offer anymore.
As for Martin Scorsese himself, the veteran director is left seething in the wake of consecutive push-and-pull of actors and directors involved with Devil in the White City. At its most recent milestone stands Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese along with Jennifer Davisson, Rick Yorn, Stacey Sher, and Mark Lafferty as executive producers of the series. Given that Paramount Pictures still owns the rights to the novel (the bidding to which was finalized in 2015), it can be safely assumed that the studio will still be attached to the project moving forward. An episode count has not been determined yet.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
