The headline above is wishful thinking, but it makes sense.
Last week, Martin Scorsese hinted that he wanted to shoot a limited series and that, unlike his “Boardwalk Empire” and “Vinyl,” he’d want to direct every single episode.
I found that if I were to do a series, and I tried, I was only able to direct the pilot episodes. With “Vinyl,” by the end of the first season, I felt like I should have been more involved.
Here comes the news, from producer Stacy Sher, that Scorsese’s long-gestating limited series, “Devil in the White City,” is still very much happening. Sher says everyone is still involved, including Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio who are, for the time being, just producing.
Based on the book by Erik Larson, “Devil in the White City” tells the story of an architect and a serial killer, both trying to leave their mark on the city, and the true events that changed their lives forever at the 1893 Chicago World Fair.
At some point in the 2010s, “Devil in the White City” was supposed to be Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese’s next film together.
A few years later, in 2019, it got turned into a HULU limited series. Todd Field was set to direct with Keanu Reeves cast as the lead. Then, late last year, they both dropped out of the project. At the same time, THR reported that the series was dead and looking for a new home.
’Devil’ has been in the works now for more than a decade. As mentioned, it was originally set to be a DiCaprio/Scorsese film, but wouldn’t it be great if both talents could turn it into a 7- or 8-hour series? Right now, and based on last week’s intel, it looks as though Scorsese only has two movie projects he’s deeply involved in: “The Life of Jesus” and “Home.”