Credit: The Devil in the White City
The trouble continues for The Devil in the White City.
The Erik Larson book had its rights purchased back in 2010 by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio. Originally, it was meant for the actor to adapt it into a film; however, plans change all the time in Tinseltown, and Hulu purchased the series in 2019. It was ordered to series in August 2022. DiCaprio will no longer serve as the lead and is now an executive producer alongside Martin Scorsese (who was originally tapped as the director for the feature), Rick Yarn, Jennifer Davisson, Stacey Sher, Sam Shaw, and Mark Lafferty.
The logline of the upcoming series “follows 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.”
Recently, it was announced that Mr. John Wick himself would play Daniel H. Burnham; this would’ve been Keanu Reeves’s first major television role; however, Variety reported that the actor has dropped out of the series entirely. At the moment, the reasoning isn’t exactly clear on Reeves’s sudden departure.
Credit: John Wick
The actor is an extremely busy person these days as he’s gearing up for the release of John Wick 4 on March 23, 2023. Reeves also has Part 5 on the horizon, along with BRZRKR (nope, this is not a mistake) and Constantine 2. It’s possible that scheduling conflicts are the source for Reeves’s departure, though it is a bit odd for the actor to sign on to the project and then back out so quickly.
In addition to Reeves, Todd Field is no longer on board as a director. Field is currently a hot commodity as the filmmaker is receiving praise for his independent feature Tar, which stars Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tar, a renowned musician who is so close to recording the symphony that will elevate her career.
Of course, the rise to fame and success is never an easy feat, and the struggling mother has to deal with forces outside of her control. Lydia’s adopted daughter Petra becomes an integral part of her journey that helps her reach greater heights than before. The film currently has a 96% on rotten tomatoes, and there’s chatter that it could be a strong Oscar contender. Like Reeves, the reasoning behind Feild’s departure remains unknown, but the report does state that producers are currently searching for a new director.
Credit: Mare of the Easton
In terms of who could possibly replace Reeves, there haven’t been any names floating around as of yet. While DiCaprio was set to star onscreen at one point, the Oscar winner will remain an executive producer only. No timetable has been set for the release of the Hulu exclusive series, so there’s been no disruption in terms of scheduling.
Like DiCaprio, it doesn’t appear that Scorsese will have a hand in directing the series, though it wouldn’t be the first time that the filmmaker directed in the world of television if he did. The episode that Scorsese directed was the short-lived Vinyl, in which the Oscar winner was in charge of the pilot. However, Scorsese has numerous credits as an executive producer.
Meanwhile, Scorsese is also focused on his upcoming directorial effort, Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Mr. DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser, Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone, and Jesse Plemons. His latest feature focuses on the crime of the Osage tribe in the United States, who was murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking an F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover. The film is expected to be released in the summer of 2023.
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