Keanu Reeves Drops Out of Hulu's THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY Limited Series
I’ve got a bit of bummer news to share with you today regarding Hulu’s limited series The Devil In The White City. Keanu Reeves was set to star in the show, but he’s dropped out of the project. There are no details given as to why, but Reeves is a pretty busy guy and I imagine he’s just got too many other things on his plate at the moment. Who knows, maybe he’s looking to focus his attention on directing his BRZRKR movie.
This series is an adaptation of the book written by Erik Larson. The Devil in the White City tells the true story of two men, “an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were forever linked by The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It follows Daniel H. Burnham, a brilliant and fastidious architect racing to make his mark on the world and Henry H. Holmes, a handsome and cunning doctor who fashioned his own pharmaceutical ‘Murder Castle’ on fair grounds – a palace built to seduce, torture and mutilate young women.”
The series is said to take 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 been come to be known as 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 is writing the series and will serve as showrunner. Todd Field will direct. The project was first set up as a feature film at Paramount with DiCaprio set to star and Scorsese direct. Now they are both just producers on the project.
While it would have been great to see Reeves in the series, I’m still looking forward to watching it. This is a crazy story! I hope producers find another talented actor to replace Reeves.
The eight-episode series is targeted for a 2024 launch, with production not expected to start next year.
Source: Deadline