Hulu’s ambitious adaptation of The Devil in the White City is facing some trouble at the moment. Right after losing its leading star Keanu Reeves, it seems that it has now also lost its executive producer and director Todd Field. It doesn’t look like the streamer is backing down and is actively looking for someone to take over from the Tár director, which recently received rave reviews at the Venice International Film Festival.
The project has been in development since 2019 and was ordered to series back in August. Erik Larson wrote the original book that the series is based on, which would explore the story of 1893’s World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago from the views of the various designers that attended. It also explores the story of H. H. Holmes who many believed was America’s first serial killer.
Reeves leaving the project already was a bad omen, especially with it being shortly after he was even cast. It may be hinting at some creative differences that are adding some difficulties in bringing the work to life. Leonardo DiCaprio famously purchased the rights in 2010 and Martin Scorsese was originally attached to direct it back in 2015 based on a script by Billy Ray. Yet, the project continues to have problems and we’ll see how long it might take before they find a new director to take over.
Source: Variety
