The long road to 'The Devil in the White City'

Scorsese, DiCaprio's true-crime epic reignites

For over a decade, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have been circling The Devil in the White City, a true-crime thriller set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Now, after years of false starts and shifting formats, the long-delayed project appears to be back in motion. According to Deadline, the film is in pre-production at 20th Century Studios, a division of Disney since the company's 2019 acquisition of Rupert Murdoch's 20th Century Fox.

Based on Erik Larson's bestselling nonfiction book, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, the story explores the chilling exploits of HH Holmes, the infamous serial killer who lured victims to his elaborately constructed "Murder Castle" in Chicago. Holmes, who was ultimately convicted and executed in 1896 for the murder of his accomplice, Benjamin Pitezel, remains one of history's most notorious figures, his crimes the stuff of enduring fascination and speculation.

DiCaprio first acquired the rights to the book in 2010, with Scorsese's involvement confirmed five years later, fresh off the critical and commercial success of The Wolf of Wall Street. Although a screenplay was completed by Billy Ray, the project struggled to gain traction, shifting gears in 2022 to a planned television adaptation for Hulu. That version, with Keanu Reeves set to star and Todd Field directing, also failed to materialise when both Reeves and Field departed the project in 2023.

A completed film still seems a distant prospect. Deadline reports that no script is currently attached. DiCaprio is set to return to the screen in Paul Thomas Anderson's forthcoming, as-yet-untitled film, slated for release in August. Meanwhile, Scorsese's schedule is packed with upcoming projects, including an adaptation of Sh?saku End?'s novel A Life of Jesus, a Frank Sinatra biopic, and Shipwrecks of Sicily, a documentary exploring marine archaeology.

Speaking with The Los Angeles Times last year, Scorsese expressed hope that A Life of Jesus will dive into Jesus' fundamental teachings without engaging in "proselytisation."

"I'm trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organised religion," insisted the filmmaker, reconsidering religion's initial impulse without dismissing it outright.

Scorsese furthered on, "Let's get back. Let's just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life - even in rejecting it. Don't dismiss it offhand. That's all I'm talking about. And I'm saying that as a person who's going to be 81 in a couple of days."