A sad turn of events has occurred for “The Devil in the White City.” The fascinating novel is about the world’s first Ferris wheel presented at the Chicago World’s Faire of 1893. Juxtaposed by the murders of America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who took advantage of the fair’s crowds. Written by Erik Larson, the series has been gestating for 4 years by Hulu.
But, the streaming service is no longer moving forward with the project.
ABC Signature was heading the project, and they refuse to give up on the series. They’re determined to find a new home for the series as soon as possible. Initially, it was Leonardo DiCaprio who took an interest in the book. Enough to purchase the film rights to it so that he might bring it to television or streaming services. In association with Paramount Television, the series was be executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Rick Yorn, DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson, Stacey Sher, Sam Shaw, Lila Byock, and Mark Lafferty.
Last we heard, Keanu Reeves, who was originally set to star, and executive producer Todd Field (“Tár“) left the project. This prompted newly minted Golden Globe Best Actor winner Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear“) was considered to replace Reeves.
That’s a significant amount of people that believe in the appeal of an adaptation. The book itself is a masterpiece. If you haven’t read it, we recommend it. You won’t regret it! Regardless of several setbacks with the series, ABC is hoping that someone else will realize the merit of a series like this. Perhaps Paramount+ will become its new home. We hope the outcome will be a positive one, and that we might see a Scorsese interpretation of the World’s Fair of 1893 and the lurking terror that took advantage of it.
