The Devil in the White City
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (Crown Publishers, ) is a 2003 historical non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. It tells the story of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago from the viewpoint of the designers, including Daniel Burnham, and also tells the story of H. H. Holmes, a criminal figure in that same time often credited as the first modern serial killer. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights in 2010. Plot. "The Devil in the White City  is divided into four parts, the first three happening in Chicago between 1890 and 1893, while part four of the book takes place in Philadelphia circa 1895. The book interweaves the true tales of Daniel Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 World's Fair, and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths in his elaborately constructed Murder Castle". Adaptation. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the book in 2010. The film version, as originally planned, would have been directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Billy Ray, and produced jointly by Paramount Pictures, Double  Feature Films, and DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions. In 2019, Hulu began developing a series based on the book. Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese will be the executive producers of the project along with Stacey Sher. It was announced in January 2022, that actor Keanu Reeves was in negotiations to star in series and Todd Field would direct the first two episodes.