The biggest news of the day was saved for last.
Martin Scorsese is set to direct “Devil in the White City” with Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the lead role. 20th Century has come onboard the project. There is currently no script, although Billy Ray had written the first draft in 2015, and we don’t really know if it’ll be Scorsese’s next project, but it’s happening!
Based on the true crime non-fiction 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 going to be DiCaprio and Scorsese’s next film after “The Wolf of Wall Street,” but then in 2019 it was turned into a HULU limited series. Todd Field was set to direct with Keanu Reeves cast in the lead role. Then, in 2023, both Field and Reeves dropped out of the project. At the same time, THR reported that the series was dead and looking for a new home.
Last August, producer Stacy Sher surprised many by claiming that Scorsese’s long-gestating project was still very much happening. She added that everyone was still involved, including Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio who were, at the time, only to produce. Things have clearly changed, and they’re now set for their seventh film together.
Now, please, for the love of God, let’s get it made this time. “Devil in the White City,” based on a spectacular book, is the one Scorsese project I wanted to get made these last 20 years. It’s a perfect, and ambitiously conceived, combination of drama, history and mystery — Scorsese and DiCaprio could knock this one out of the park.
Scorsese, 82, is currently working on a wide array of projects, and what might be his next film is still very much up to debate. Some of the possibilities include “Devil in the White City,” “Home,” “The Life of Jesus,” and “Sinatra.”
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.