Leonardo DiCaprio poses at the 14th Annual Governors Awards
(Emma McIntyre/Getty)

It seems Devil in the White City is happening finally….but I am not getting my hopes up

Every once in a while, they tease us with the idea of The Devil in the White City getting an adaptation. It is happening again and now Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are reportedly attached. Wait…didn’t I hear this before?

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In an exclusive to Deadline, it was revealed that the project was revived by 20th century with DiCaprio and Scorsese back working together. For those who maybe are having a sense of deja vu, they were originally planning to do this together as a television show. Leonardo DiCaprio dropped to no longer starring, Keanu Reeves was reportedly taking on the role and then the ever changing news began.

All this to say that an adaptation of The Devil In the White City has been a long time coming. And so sorry if I am not exactly trustworthy of this news as it currently stands. I’ve literally seen this film before and I didn’t like the ending (because we had no adaptation).

Based on Erik Larson’s book released in 2004, the story centers on H.H. Holmes, the famed serial killer from Chicago. He had a house infamously known as the Murder Castle where he would torture and kill his victims in a variety of ways, almost testing how their bodies reacted to things. No one is quite sure how many people Holmes killed and the number ranges from 27 – 200 possible victims.

He was, from the records, the first American serial killer and there have been plenty of theories about Holmes throughout the years. Some even think he was also Jack the Ripper but there is no proof to that theory and it can’t really be proven anyway. The point is that there is a rich and dark history with Holmes that this novel explores.

I’ll be excited when I’m sat in a theater

This adaptation has been a long time coming. Since the book’s release, DiCaprio and Scorsese have been trying to bring the story to life. It was originally tied to Hulu as a series but that fell through and left the series dead in the water. Luckily, this meeting with 20th Century reportedly went well and I am excited for all the parties involved.

You just cannot burn me again. I have a fascination with true crime, probably out of my own need as a small woman to not end up in a murder documentary myself. So when it comes to Holmes, it was always fascinating to me how he operated in Chicago without ever getting caught. He used the Chicago World Fair as his playground and it was a twisted story that was often buried in our history by more sensationalized serial killers.

Something like Devil in the White City shows how much a white man can get away with and how that has always been the case. It is a fascinating read and I think a story worth telling. But given the back and forth with this particular team, I will not hold my breath for more news on it until I am sat with my soda and a popcorn.


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Rachel Leishman
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Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.