EXCLUSIVE: The long-awaited film adaptation of Erik Larson’s best-seller The Devil in the White City I just got a dose of adrenaline, as sources tell Deadline that 20th Century has joined the project with Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star and Martin Scorsese in talks to direct it. DiCaprio and Scorsese will also produce with Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn and Jennifer Davisson, DiCaprio’s partner on Appian Way.
Sources add that there is currently no script for the pic, which is based on Larson’s nonfiction classic. The Devil in the White City: Murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed Americafirst published in 2004.
DiCaprio and Scorsese have been developing the project for some time, and sources say they always thought it was a story that resonated over the years and still does. DiCaprio first secured the rights to the book in 2010, and although the project has gone through various stages of development over the years (including a TV series adaptation at Hulu that never came to fruition), insiders say only following a meeting with 20th century leaders. , all parties agreed to tell this story on a theatrical level.
The story follows Dr. H.H. Holmes, a cunning serial killer who is believed to have murdered between 27 and 200 people at a time when the city of Chicago was fascinated by hosting the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The book plays on the contrasts between the hope, expectations and wonders presented at the exhibition and the dark deeds of Holmes, who maneuvered in his shadow and built a carefully concealed house of horrors.
This marks another massive win for David Greenbaum, who heads Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, and Steve Asbell, president of 20th, who are on a hot streak to land another high-profile package: the Bruce Springsteen picture. Deliver me from nowhere with Jeremy Allen White. They quickly followed by picking up the much sought after package. The barrier with Austin Butler under the direction of Edward Berger. The three projects align with what Greenbaum wants for the 20th: films that embody commerce, global theater and prestige with A-list talent and original filmmaking.
Asbell, Greenbaum and Sarah Shepard, senior vice president of production, will oversee Devil in the White City for the workshop.
LBI Entertainment represents DiCaprio, Appian Way and Scorsese, who is also repped by WME.
