Hulu's The Devil in the White City adaptation has suffered another setback as director Todd Field has reportedly left the project. The Devil in the White City is slated to be an eight-part episodic series based on Erik Larson's novel of the same name, but the series has had trouble lifting off because of shifting mediums and key personnel departures. A release date for the series is not set.
Driving the effort to see The Devil in the White City through are Keanu Reeves was planning to make his miniseries debut as Burnham, but dropped out on October 7.
Now the project has suffered another high-profile exit as director Todd Field departs, per Variety. Field's exit from The Devil in the White City takes even more wind out of the project's sails. His newly released film Tár stars Cate Blanchett in the lead, and was the first film he directed in 16 years. An actor himself, Field has directed five Oscar-nominated performances. The Devil in the White City creative team is now looking for a new director to oversee the shoot.
Will The Devil in the White City Ever Get Made?
There's no doubt The Devil in the White City is a massive undertaking. Set in the late 19th century, the period piece will need to have the proper costuming, props, and elements that will run up costs. The 1893 World's Fair also will need at least some recreation, and given that Burnham designed more than 200 buildings and nearly 30 million people visited during the event's six-month run, lengthy, multi-location shoot days will be a challenge for the project's future crew. With a key actor in Reeves leaving, and Field's exit shortly thereafter, The Devil in the White City is stuck on the runway. Of course, with artistic greats like DiCaprio and Scorsese still attached, it's entirely possible the Wolf of Wall Street collaborators are able to save the show, and create a true-to-form classic.
The Devil in the White City is an expensive gamble, but it's also ripe for massive success based on what subjects and styles have been critically and commercially successful lately. Investments in historical have paid dividends for Hulu, as its black comedy depiction of the Russian Princess Catherine (Elle Fanning) in The Great was renewed for a season 3. The Devil in the White City is also a non-fiction story based on a serial killer, and as indicated by both Netflix's Dahmer and the prevalence of true crime projects in media, the topic that has a proven audience. DiCaprio and Scorsese have also aced the period piece with a historically accurate, sinister tone in their classic Gangs of New York. Getting The Devil in the White City up and running has been tough, and Scorsese and DiCaprio have a seventh movie to film, but the executive producing pair have a resume that can't be argued with, and hopefully the remainder of the cast and crew is padded out in due time.
Source: Variety