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
Memorial Day 2020
Bearing the bandages, water and sponge, Straight and swift to my wounded I go, Where they lie on the ground after the battle brought in, Where their priceless blood reddens the grass the ground, Or to the rows of the hospital tent, or under the roof'd hospital, To the long rows of cots up and down each side I return, To each and all one after another I draw [...]
Edward Kemeys’ “Buffalo”, Masked
Edward Kemeys' buffalo sculptures for the 1893 World's Fair "possess that touch of the ideal—that suggestion of the soul—which, lacking in the real animal, is bestowed by the magic of art."
May 28, 2020: “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair Part 2” Virtual Historic Happy Hour (Chicago Detours)
Grab a refreshment of choice and join Chicago Detours for a Historic Happy Hour on Thurs, May 28, when the theme is “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair Part 2.” Executive Director, Amanda, will offer a virtual tour of the World's Columbian Exposition and highlight the industrial, engineering, and gastronomical inventions that wowed visitors to Chicago's White City. The even runs from 6-6:30 pm CST. The event is free [...]
When Buffalo Bill Cody Goosed the World’s Fair
In the fall of 1893, Buffalo Bill Cody “departed Chicago with a million in cash and the irony of the last laugh,” writes Matt Braun in his article “Buffalo Bill Goosed the World’s Fair” in the May 2014 issue of True West magazine. “He never paid a red cent to Burnham or the World’s Columbian Exposition,” The article offers an account of how Nate Salsbury, Cody’s partner and business [...]
Yerkes Telescope Will See the Light of Day
A gargantuan scientific display the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago has been hidden from site for months, but soon may see the light of day.
Quarantine Has Us Going to Pieces
Assembling this birds-eye-view of the 1893 World’s Fair lifted our spirits and offered a detailed visit to the fairgrounds of the Columbian Exposition, while cooperating with our stay-at-home ordinance.
1893 World’s Fair Director’s Medal Sells for $3,240
A rare Director’s medal from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition sold for $3,240 in Heritage Auctions’ April 26, 2020, coin auction.
May 15, 2020: Virtual Tour of the 1893 World’s Fair (online)
Chicago "history detective" Ray Johnson will offer a virtual tour of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition fairgrounds at 4 pm (Central) on May 15, 2020. The webinar, offered by Vamonde, is free but registration is required.
100. Picturesque World’s Fair – Arabian Horses and Riders
ARABIAN HORSES AND RIDERS.—Ottoman's Arab camp, or the "Wild East Show' as it was finally called, was one of the World's Fair enterprises which, with various striking features, was yet financially unsuccessful. The Bedouins, with their families and equipments, were brought to Chicago by a private company, and the original intention of the promoters of the enterprise was to exhibit them in a park near the Exposition, but this [...]
May 20, 2020: A Tale of Two Fairs (Chicago Architecture Center)
Forty years after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago again hosted the world for the Century of Progress. Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) docent Ellen Shubart will compare the two—and explain why one is talked about so much more often than the other today—in a video lecture "A Tale of Two Fairs" at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The program will be hosted on Zoom; registered guests will [...]