The Devil in the White City (screen)2025-01-26T13:01:11-06:00


THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

plans for a screen adaptation

of Erik Larson’s book


Latest News

January 22, 2025: 20th Century Studios picks up The Devil in the White City as a feature film.

March 6, 2023: Hulu dropped plans to produce The Devil in the White City TV miniseries.

August 29, 2022: “According to a recent listing in Production Weekly, the series is reportedly scheduled to begin filming in March 2023 and will be filmed entirely in Chicago. Exact filming dates and locations have yet to be disclosed at this time.” [ReelChicago.com]

Development of Devil in the White City

A film adaptation of The Devil in the White City was first developed by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner through their Cruise/Wagner company, but the option lapsed in 2004. Paramount acquired the film rights in 2007 and set it up with producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. Leonardo DiCaprio bought the film rights to The Devil in the White City in 2010 and began developing it as a feature film for Paramount studios to be directed by Martin Scorsese with DiCaprio was set to star in the leading role of the killer Holmes.

In 2019, the project changed to a big-budget miniseries for the streaming service Hulu.  The series is being produced by Paramount TV Studios, ABC Signature, and Appian Way. Hulu canceled their plans in March 2023, but ABC Signature remains committed to the drama and will be shopping the show to new outlets.

Credits

Cast

Producers

Writers

Directors

  • Todd Field reportedly will direct the first two episodes. (out 10/10/2022)

More Information

Internet Movie Database (IMDB) page for the miniseries The Devil in the White City

Posts about Erik Larson’s 2003 book, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

Oct 19-20, 2023: “The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition” (Lombard, IL)

The Lombard Historical Society will explore some devilry in the White City at an event titled "The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition." Guests will learn about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the murders of H. H. Holmes in the context of Lombard, Illinois. Tours begin at 6, 7, and 8 pm on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Lombard Historical [...]

By |October 2nd, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Nov. 11, 2023: “Perspective of Wonder” talk by Cindy Angell Keeling (Chicago)

“Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” By Cindy Angell Keeling Saturday, November 11, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Chicago Public Library, Uptown Branch (929 W. Buena Ave.) Author Cindy Angell Keeling will offer a fascinating introduction to the spectacular Chicago World’s Fair in her presentation "Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition" on Saturday, November 11, 2023. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy [...]

By |September 28th, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

The Humboldt County display in the California State Building at the 1893 World’s Fair

Glen Nash, “The Humboldt Historian,” shares a fascinating look at the Humboldt County display inside the California State Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. His article “The County’s Exhibition at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Sounds Spectacular, but Putting it Together and Getting it Back Was Kind of a Pain in the Ass” appears on the Lost Coast Outpost.

By |September 23rd, 2023|Categories: NEWS|Tags: |0 Comments

156. Picturesque World’s Fair – Interior View in Old Vienna

INTERIOR VIEW IN OLD VIENNA.—The memory of hours passed in the Austrian Village, or reproduction of a portion of the Vienna of a hundred and fifty years ago, is, perhaps, what will linger longest in the minds of those who "did" the Plaisance thoroughly during the past Exposition. The quaint, bustling scene presented on every side, the suppers in the open air and the delicious music afforded, combined to [...]

By |September 20th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , |0 Comments

“What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?”

If you were planning a trip to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, you might ask yourself is “What should I wear?” Marissa Croft of the Chicago History Museum investigates that question with an interesting and insightful blog post about the wide variety of dress at the Fair. Check out “What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?” Dressed up for a stroll along the south end of [...]

By |September 17th, 2023|Categories: NEWS|0 Comments

“One Unmitigated Nightmare of Horror”—Crowds in Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair

State Street, that great street in the todd’ling town of Chicago, is in need of revitalization. Urban planners aim to bring more people back to “Chicago’s front porch.” Back in 1893, this was one of the busiest throughfares in the world, and many walking through the frenetic business district were visitors to the World’s Fair. Not all the locals were happy about the thick crowds, as recorded in the [...]

By |September 16th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|0 Comments

The Flying Dutchman Enlightens the World’s Fair of 1893

Visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago who found their way into the southwest corner of the Agricultural Building Annex encountered a most curious figure. Rising above a display of farm plows stood a twelve-foot-tall, pot-bellied man flamboyantly dressed and having a pair of huge wings. He stood on a tree stump holding a luminous ear of corn, striking a pose that lampooned the famous Liberty Enlightening [...]

By |September 12th, 2023|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: , |0 Comments

Sep. 12, 2023: “Restoring Freya” (Geneva, IL)

The Geneva History Museum will offer a presentation on "Restoring Freya" on Tuesday, September 12 from 12- 1 pm. Freya is the new name for the newly restored dragon head and tail of the original Viking ship that sailed from Norway to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Participants will learn all about the restoration process used by Third Coast Conservation on the century-old artifact. The Viking ship dragon [...]

By |September 8th, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

Oct. 19, 2023: “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door” (Chicago and online)

The Newberry Library in Chicago will host a lecture on 1893 World’s Fair poet Harriet Monroe on October 19, 2023. Liesl Olson, Director of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and former Director of Chicago Studies at the Newberry Library, will present “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door.” Harriet Monroe's extraordinary life and work gave the world one of the most exciting and enduring magazines devoted to “the best English [...]

By |September 5th, 2023|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , |0 Comments

Now We Are Six

Six years ago, we started this website to share our interest in the 1893 World's Fair with others. We have greatly enjoyed populating the site with research articles, historic images, announcements, and occasional amusements. Most of all, we've been honored hearing from researchers, collectors, curators, archivists, authors, artists, and curious readers who find this site useful. Looking back six years ... Our most-read post is "Death of the Republic: [...]

By |September 4th, 2023|Categories: NEWS|0 Comments
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