Keanu Reeves Is Currently In Talks To Star In Martin Scorsese's The Devil In The White City

As he continues his on-screen renaissance, it seems Keanu Reeves may potentially take a new career step: his first starring role in a U.S. television series.

Deadline reports that Reeves is in talks to star in Hulu's adaptation of "The Devil in the White City," which is based on Erik Larson's compelling non-fiction book of the same name. "The Devil in the White City" has been in the works for a long time now; Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the book's film rights back in 2010, and at one point, planned to star in a movie version with Martin Scorsese directing.

In its latest iteration, "The Devil in the White City" looks to be a Hulu limited series, which will probably work better for the story than a movie would, anyway. The 2003 book, which is subtitled "Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America," tells two parallel stories. One follows architect Daniel Burnham, who brought the 1893 world fair to life. The other follows the dark deeds of H.H. Holmes, a pharmacist and serial killer who built a "Murder Castle" in Chicago around the same time. Both men are constructing something elaborate and imaginative, but one is for much more nefarious purposes than the other.

Reeves' Role Hasn't Been Announced

Deadline shares that Reeves is "in negotiations" to star in the series, though they don't actually mention which of the two leads he will play. DiCaprio was initially attached to the Holmes role, but in 2019 both he and Scorsese were reported to be scaling back their involvement in the project. The two are currently attached as executive producers, but if DiCaprio is still planning to appear on screen, it isn't mentioned in the latest reports.

This leaves the door open for Reeves to play either Daniel Burnham or H.H. Holmes, which is extremely exciting. Though Burnham's character perhaps hews closer to Reeves' wheelhouse, much of the actor's most interesting work happens when he plays characters who are a bit more unhinged, as in "The Neon Demon" or "The Bad Batch." Both of those roles were minor, though, and it's still thrilling to imagine the actor taking on a major part as a bad guy at this point in his career.

"The Devil in the White City" has been through a lot of ups and downs before even heading into production, but this latest announcement has us more eager to see the project come to fruition than ever.