Hulu Not Moving Forward with THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY; It Will Be Shopped to Other Outlets

After hitting some pretty big obstacles, Hulu has decided that it will not move forward with its series adaptation of Erik Larson’s book The Devil in the White City, which tells the story of infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes.

The series was originally ordered back in the summer of 2022 with Keanu Reeves set to star and Todd Field on board to direct. But, they ended up dropping out of the project, and it seems like the producing team has been having issues figuring out how to move forward.

While the show is not moving forward at Hulu, there are plans to shop the project to other outlets. I hope that the project lands somewhere! This is a fascinating story, and one that will probably be a big hit for anyone that decided to move forward with it, especially with how popular true crime is right now.

The series “tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious ‘Murder Castle’ built in the Fair’s shadow.” Reeves was going to play Burnham in the movie.

The series would have taken audiences on “a tour of murder, romance, and mystery in the gilded age.” Holmes admitted to killing 27 people, but in reality is said to have killed closer to 200 people. He built The World’s Fair Hotel, which was an inn for people to stay at while visiting, and the sociopath used his charming demeanor to lure guests into his hotel, which has since come to be known as the murder castle. The castle included a gas chamber, crematorium, and a dissecting table where he would murder his victims and strip their skeletons to sell for medical and scientific study. When Holmes was arrested, he told the police:

"I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing — I was born with the 'Evil One' standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since."

Sam Shaw wrote the series and was going to serve as showrunner. Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese were also developing a film version at one point, but they remain executive producers. Before that, back in 2004, Tom Cruise acquired the rights and was looking to produce a film.

Do you hope to see the project eventually get made?

Source: Variety