‘Devil in the White City’ Movie Resurfaces at 20th Century, with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio in Talks to Direct and Star

The adaptation of Erik Larson's 2004 book on the 1893 World's Fair is one of Scorsese and DiCaprio's longest gestating projects.

One of Martin Scorsese‘s longest-gestating projects has another shot at seeing the light of day.

IndieWire has learned that 20th Century Studios is developing a film adaptation of Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City,” with Scorsese in talks to direct and frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star.

First published in 2004, “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” tells the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, following ambitious architect Daniel H. Burnham and the murders of serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes that took place during the event.

No script is currently ready, but Scorsese and DiCaprio should be deeply familiar with the material given how much time they’ve spent circling it over the past decade.

DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book in 2010 and began developing a film adaptation at Paramount, with Scorsese coming on board as director shortly thereafter. The project was later re-tooled as a limited series, with Scorsese initially flirting with directing. Both Scorsese and DiCaprio eventually transitioned to executive producer roles on the project, with Todd Field coming on board as director and Keanu Reeves circling the lead role. That iteration of the project was scrapped by Hulu in 2023, and “Devil in the White City” was thought by many to be dead.

The news is the latest instance of Scorsese working to revive passion projects that he has spent decades trying to get off the ground. He has also revisited his long languishing Frank Sinatra biopic, which has run into years of snags over disputes with the late singer’s estate about the use of his music in the film. DiCaprio has frequently been linked to the role of Sinatra, and Scorsese reportedly attempted to revive the film in 2024 with Jennifer Lawrence.

The busy director has also been working on an independently financed adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s “The Life of Jesus,” which he initially planned to shoot in 2024.

The news about “Devil in the White City” at 20th Century was first reported by Deadline.

Reporting by Brian Welk.