Keanu Reeves is headed to television, as he’s in talks to feature in a big-budget series adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 novel The Devil in the White City, which many of us have been meaning to read for years. The day before this news was released, many would have just set the book on their bedside. Hulu has been working on the movie for several years, and Reeves’ addition would be another win for the streaming service, which has already collaborated with A-listers including Nicole Kidman (Nine Perfect Strangers), Reese Witherspoon (Little Fires Everywhere), and Michael Keaton (Dopesick).
The Devil in the White City is based on a true story of a great architect named Daniel H. Burnham and a clever doctor named Henry H. Holmes, whose destinies clash in 1893 during Chicago’s World’s Fair. What’s the catch? Holmes is also a serial killer who has constructed his own “murder castle” on fairgrounds, where he seduces ladies before murdering them.
The team onboard
It’s still unknown which character Keanu Reeves will play, but given that executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio was previously attached to portray Holmes, it’s reasonable to infer that Reeves will take over. He has, of course, previously portrayed both an architect and a serial murderer in the films Knock Knock and The Watcher.
Todd Field is slated to helm the first two episodes of the limited series, which also includes Martin Scorsese as an executive producer alongside DiCaprio, who initially purchased the rights to the novel in 2010 with the intention of developing it as a feature film. True-crime limited series are all the rage these days, and we are sure this one will be as well when it premieres in 2023.
The backdrop
A passage from the book’s synopsis states, “The Devil in the White City chronicles the real storey of two men, an architect and a serial murderer, whose fates were eternally connected by The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It follows Daniel H. Burnham, a brilliant and meticulous architect vying for fame, and Henry H. Holmes, a gorgeous and crafty doctor who erected his own pharmaceutical ‘Murder Castle’ on fairgrounds—a mansion designed to entice, torment, and mutilate young ladies. The narrative takes the audience on a tour of gilded era murder, passion, and mystery.”
Keanu Reeves and his virtuous career
Keanu Reeves travelled to Sao Paulo in 2019 to create Conquest, a Netflix series. The specifics are being kept under wraps. BRZRKR, a comic book series co-written by Reeves, was released in March 2021. It is likely that he would star in a cinematic version of the book. The Matrix Resurrections (2021), the fourth film in the Matrix franchise, starring Keanu Reeves. Trinity was also reprised by Carrie-Anne Moss. Reeves will also return as John Wick in two more sequels, which will be shot back-to-back.
Reeves has directed the film Man of Tai Chi in addition to acting (2013). He has also dabbled in writing and charity while playing the bass guitar for the band Dogstar.