Ever since Keanu Reeves was announced to be starring in Hulu’s The Devil in the White City adaptation, fans have been clamoring for more information. Well, now, thanks to a Production Weekly listing, we know that the eight-episode series is reportedly set to begin filming in March 2023 in Chicago. While no scheduled release date for the series has been announced, this news is certainly enough to excite Reeves’ fans.
The Devil in the White City will be an adaptation of the critically acclaimed 2003 historical non-fiction novel of the same name by Erik Larson. The novel intertwines the stories of Daniel H. Burnham and H. H. Holmes. Burnham was a world-famous architect in the late 1800s and early 1900s that is most notably known for designing the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Holmes on the other hand is often credited as being America’s first serial killer, known for using his "murder castle" to kill his victims. Reeves is said to be playing Burnham while the actor playing Holmes has yet to be announced.
Reeves signing on to star in the series has been a big deal for fans of the movie star. The John Wick actor is not known for working in television, so getting eight episodes of Reeves is a main role exciting prospect. In fact, the only series he has ever starred in was the animated Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure series from 1990. Reeves is far and away known as an action movie star with blockbuster hits like The Matrix franchise, Speed, and the exhilarating John Wick series. Seeing him take a more dramatic role like The Devil in the White City has his many loyal fans excited to see him flex his acting chops without a gun in his hand or a world to save.
It has been a long road to get to this point with the The Devil in the White City adaptation. It has been a passion project for Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese for quite some time, with Dicaprio buying the rights to the book all the way back in 2010. Originally, it was set to be a film starring DiCaprio with Scorsese directing but over the years plans have changed. Eventually, it was decided a film would not be enough to do the story justice, and it was expanded to an eight-episode series with DiCaprio and Scorsese serving as executive producers.
Currently, Reeves is the only actor announced to be attached to the project. The series has been written by Sam Shaw, who will also serve as showrunner. Shaw has previously created the Stephen King-inspired series Castle Rock. Additionally, Little Children director Todd Field will be directing at least two episodes of the series. Executive producers on the series include DiCaprio, Scorsese, Rick Yorn, Jennifer Davisson, Stacey Sher, Todd Field, Mark Lafferty, Shaw, and Reeves.
Stay tuned at Collider for any future updates on the production of The Devil in the White City as it reportedly prepares to begin filming in March 2023.