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
Keanu Reeves as Daniel Burnham(confirmed 8/4/2022) (exited 10/7/2022)- Matt Damon?
- Robert Pattison?
Producers
- Sam Shaw (show runner)
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Martin Scorsese
- Keanu Reeves
- Jennifer Davisson
- Rick Yorn
- Stacey Sher
- Lila Byock
Todd Field(exited 10/10/2022)- Mark Lafferty
- ? Emma Koskoff
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
Fourth at the Fair, Part 5: The Opening Address of Vice President Adlai Stevenson
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 4: The Platform Party Arrives
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 3: A Sea of Patriots Floods the Fairgrounds
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 2: Liberty Bells Old and New
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
Fourth at the Fair, Part 1: Planning “America Day”
The Fourth of July at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the biggest day yet at the Fair.
June 13, 2026: “A Sweet Beginning: Milton Hershey at the 1893 World’s Fair” (Hershey, PA)
The Hershey Story, a museum dedicated to the legacy of chocolatier Milton S. Hershey, is hosting a special 1893 World’s Fair event on June 13 and 14, 2026. “A Sweet Beginning: Milton Hershey at the 1893 World’s Fair” will feature music, performers, period actors, and (of course) sweet treats as they celebrate how the Pennsylvania entrepreneur’s visit to the Columbian Exposition sparked a new business line in chocolates. In [...]
“Jackson Park was born over the furious objections of Chicagoans”
“Jackson Park was born over the furious objections of Chicagoans,” writes Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg [Full story: https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/06/12/obama-presidential-center-jackson-park-history-worlds-columbian-exposition-frederick-law-omsted] Prompted by the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, Steinberg reviews some of the controversies in the long history of Jackson Park, from its 1869 founding to its 1881 renaming to its 1890 selection as the fairgrounds for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Several private organizations have moved onto parkland since [...]
Schlitz Brewery Pavilion at the 1893 World’s Fair
Last call for Schlitz beer! After 177 years, production of the iconic Milwaukee brew has come to an end. Founded in 1849, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company ceased operations in 1982, though since 1999 the Pabst Brewing Company continued produced the Schlitz brand. Schlitz beer received valuable attention at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, as much for its handsome display as its beer. The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company [...]
185. Picturesque World’s Fair – Entrance to the French Section in the Manufactures Building
ENTRANCE TO THE FRENCH SECTION IN THE MANUFACTURES BUILDING.—In artistic and elaborate finish, the entrance to the French section in the Manufactures Building would compare favorably with the entrance to the pavilions of any of the great nations in that structure. There was a great porch, which was a semi-dome, supported by Corinthian columns, between which appeared mural paintings of a striking character. The general style of the architecture [...]
184. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Statue of Benjamin Franklin
THE STATUE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.— It was a natural idea and an appropriate one that the heroic statue of Benjamin Franklin should be the most conspicuous object in the main entrance to the Electricity Building. It was the first time in the history of expositions that a building had been devoted to a display of electrical inventions, and it seemed but right and proper that its approach should be [...]