Keanu Reeves is making his first major leap to television with the Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. The series is based on Erik Larson's 2003 non-fiction novel of the same name, which told the stories of Daniel Burnham, architect of the iconic 1893's World's Fair, and serial killer H.H. Holmes who lured his victims to his elaborately constructed Murder Castle. The Devil in the White City scored largely favorable reviews upon its release and quickly became a New York Times bestseller and earned a number of awards.
Development on an adaptation of The Devil in the White City has languished for well over a decade when Leonardo DiCaprio first acquired the rights to the novel with plans to turn it into a film. Martin Scorsese had been set to direct with Paramount Pictures producing, though plans would change as the two brought the project to Hulu to develop into a series after nine years of stalled progress. After this elongated development cycle, it looks like The Devil in the White City show is finally making major headway.
Deadline has brought word that Keanu Reeves has officially been cast in the Devil in the White City series at Hulu. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, who have been attached to an adaptation of the novel for over a decade, are set to executive produce the limited series. At the time of writing, no production start date has been set for Devil in the White City.
News of Reeves' confirmation in The Devil in the White City comes a few months after the John Wick actor first entered talks to the Scorsese and DiCaprio show. The latter actor had previously been attached to star in the project when it was still being developed as a film, with the Oscar-winner having been set to star as Holmes, with no actor having ever been cast for the role of Burnham. With the latest casting news not indicating who Reeves is attached to star as in the show, it will be interesting to see if DiCaprio still elects to play Holmes for the long-gestating Devil in the White City adaptation or if he is handing the reins off to Reeves.
Though having made his acting debut on the small-screen, Devil in the White City will mark Keanu Reeves' first major TV acting role after being a high-profile name in the film industry. His casting in the new Scorsese and DiCaprio show also marks the latest chapter in his recent resurgence since the first John Wick movie, having gone on to revive both the Matrix and Bill & Ted franchises while also making cameo appearances in everything from Always Be My Maybe to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run as himself and DC League of Super-Pets as Batman. With Reeves now confirmed to star in the show, it will be interesting to see what other big-name talent Devil in the White City can draw.
Source: Deadline