Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 20-year long project finally gets a production backing

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s long-awaited project, The Devil in the White City, is finally gaining some traction again, according to a Variety report. With 20th Century Studios taking up the rights in 2025, the project is likely to see revival after nearly two decades.

According to reports, 20th Century Studios is backing the Martin Scorsese directorial, and Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly set to star in the film. Scorsese and DiCaprio will also be involved with the project as producers, along with Rick Yorn, Jennifer Davisson and Stacey Sher.

The film will be based on Erik Larson's bestselling novel of the same name, which was published in 2003. The book tells the true story of serial killer HH Holmes, and is set in the early 1890s.

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A long journey towards revival

The film adaptation of The Devil in the White City has had a long-drawn-out developmental journey. Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly gained the rights to the film way back in 2010. Then, in 2015, Martin Scorsese got on board as director, while Billy Ray was to write the screenplay, according to reports.

However, before DiCaprio and Scorsese could get on with the project, it was reportedly adopted by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner in 2004 for a Paramount Pictures production. The project, however, did not take off.

The rights to the film were then re-acquired by Paramount in 2007, with Michael Shamber and Stacey Sher, reports said. However, despite the efforts of Paramount, the project did not progress and was once again scrapped.

Then, in 2023, the streaming platform Hulu made an attempt to make a series around the novel that would reportedly star Keanu Reeves, with Todd Field as director. The Hulu series, too, never happened.

Now, finally, 20th Century Studios along with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have stepped up efforts to revive the project that has been scrapped numerous times since 2004.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s collaborations continue

The Devil in the White City will be Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's latest film together after over half a dozen collaborations. In the past, the filmmaker and the actor have worked together in films such as The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gangs of New York and Killers of the Flower Moon.

The Devil in the White City is at present in early stages of development and no script has been finalised yet. However, there is a sliver of hope that the project will finally see light of day this time, what with 20th Century Studios joining hands with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio.

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