The story of one of Chicago’s most infamous criminals will soon be brought to life on television in a project executive produced by the team of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.
Hulu is in development talks with the duo (this will be their sixth film pairing) for a series based on the 2003 best-selling book “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” by Erik Larson. The book recounts the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, the genius architect behind the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and how his incomparable world showcase would intersect with that of serial killer H.H. Holmes (real name Herman Webster Mudgett), a doctor who committed heinous crimes just blocks from the massive fair grounds.
The media at the time nicknamed the site of his crimes — a three-story, mixed-use structure — “Murder Castle.” Holmes is considered by many to be the first urban serial killer in the U.S.
DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book nearly a decade ago and planned to adapt it for a feature film in which he would portray Holmes. Scorsese signed on to direct in 2015.
