Keanu Reeves will executive produce and star in Devil in the White City, which was written by Sam Shaw, co-creator of Castle Rock. The news was officially revealed by Hulu on Thursday. The series marks Reeves first lead television role in the U.S. since the short-lived 1990 animated series Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures. Billy Ray would have written the original screenplay, and Scorsese would have directed the movie. But between 2015 and 2019, the project started to take the form of a limited series, which Hulu then decided to carry.
Though it is unclear if Reeves will be Burnham or the notorious serial killer Holmes, Reeves has previously found himself at the drafting table. In the romance drama The Lake House, he starred opposite Sandra Bullock as an architect. The John Wick and Matrix star’s skills would be ideal for either role. In Larson’s historical novel, Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the mastermind of the infamous Murder Castle, lurks in the shadows of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 Chicago as Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding visionary architect, sets out to make history at the Chicago World’s Fair.
Todd Field has been chosen to helm the series, in addition to the announcement that Shaw will serve as showrunner for Devil in the White City. Although it sounds like he may be on board to direct the entire series, it was previously rumoured that he was being considered to film the first two episodes of the show. The Stephen King-inspired Hulu series that aired for two seasons is possibly Shaw’s most well-known work.
The comedy series Swedish Dicks, which aired in Sweden, was Reeves’ most recent appearance on television. This was only Reeves’ second lead television role. Aside from that, you may recognise him as the wicked cool actor from movies like John Wick, Speed, Point Break, The Matrix, The Matrix: Reloaded, The Matrix: Revolutions, and The Matrix: Resurrections. The Hollywood Reporter states that The Devil In The White City will begin filming in 2019 with a 2024 release date.