Is “Devil” Just Doomed?

I was so excited to procure a copy of Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, that when the hardcover edition of that non-fiction book was released in February 2003, I showed up at the door of the bookstore from which I’d ordered it 20 minutes before the place even opened. Thanks to my architect father, I was quite familiar with the grand works of Chicago designer Daniel H. Burnham, and I had long been curious to know more about the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and Burnham’s influence on that international fair. That Larson was combining all of this with the shocking tale of serial killer H.H. Holmes made The Devil in the White City a must-read for me.

There’s been talk for years about turning Larson’s yarn into a movie, either for the big screen or the boob tube, but the project seems perpetually plagued by problems. B.V. Lawson’s In Reference to Murder reports on a new round of difficulties:

In another blow to Hulu’s series adaptation of The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, Todd Field has exited the project on which he was to serve as director and executive producer. News of Field’s departure from the show comes just days after it was reported that series star, Keanu Reeves, had bowed out as well. The book tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious “Murder Castle” built in the Fair’s shadow. This is the latest chapter in the long development history of the book, which at various times has seen Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Martin Scorsese attached to the project.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone could do full justice to Larson’s outstanding book, but I would be the first in line again to watch some filmmaker or TV showrunner give it a shot.