Hulu announces new limited series ‘Devil in the White City’, Keanu Reeves on board as leading star

Actor Keanu Reeves is all set to play the role of Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham in a limited series adaptation of Erik’s Larson’s "Devil in the White City."

Hulu announced on Thursday that it is moving forward with the project that chronicles the crimes of H.H. Holmes during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Reeves — known for roles in “The Matrix” and “John Wick” among many — will bring to life the character of Burnham, the architect behind the “White City.” The series will be a co-production between Disney’s ABC Signature and Paramount Television. The announcement was made as a part of Hulu’s virtual media access at the Television Critics Association’s summer tour.

Leonardo DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book more than a decade ago in 2010, and has tried developing it as a film and TV series since then. News broke in 2019 that DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese were collaborating on bringing the project to life on Hulu. Originally, DiCaprio had hired Scorsese to direct it as a film, in which the former would have relished the role of Holmes.


Despite DiCaprio’s previous interest in playing the role of Holmes in a film, nothing has been conveyed regarding the character in the limited series. DiCaprio is on board as an executive producer, though. As far as casting goes, Reeves is the only acting talent revealed.

Even Scorsese had moved on from directorial ambitions for the project and was announced as an executive producer instead. Replacing Scorsese as director will be Todd Field, known for projects, such as "In the Bedroom" and "Little Children." The series will be written by Sam Shaw, who has previously co-created the Hulu series "Castle Rock." Shaw will also be the show runner and an executive producer. Jennifer Davidson, who is a partner at Appian Way Production (a production company founded in 2021 by DiCaprio), was announced as an executive producer, too.

Hulu was unable to provide release dates or a timeline for “Devil in the White City.” With the announcement just being made, it’s safe to assume it will be some time before we see Reeves as Burnham on our screens.