It could have been his biggest series role: Keanu Reeves was supposed to embody the architect Daniel H. Burnham in the horror shocker "The Devil in the White City". But now the film star has apparently rejected the project.
Keanu Reeves is probably not among the series stars after all. The US streaming service Hulu has been working on a serial version of the book "The Devil in the White City" (German: "The Devil of Chicago: An Architect, a Murderer and the World's Fair That Changed America.") by Erik Larson since 2019 . Reeves was originally set to play architect Daniel H. Burnham (1846-1912). As "Variety" now wants to know, the "Matrix" star is no longer part of the cast of the series.
Had Reeves accepted the offer, it would have been his first starring role in a series. When asked by Variety, spokespersons for the streaming service refused to comment on the current casting situation. Reeves' side hasn't commented on the news either.
Series producers include Martin Scorsese, Rick Yorn and Leonardo DiCaprio. The latter secured the rights to the novel back in 2010. At the time, there was talk of the "Titanic" star taking on the role of serial killer Holmes. However, no information is currently known about the exact cast of the series.
"The Devil in the White City" tells the story of the architect Burnham, who was partly responsible for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The book is also about H.H. Holmes (1861-1896), whom historians often refer to as the first modern serial killer. Holmes is a young doctor who built his World's Fair hotel west of the fairgrounds. The psychopath lured dozens of women into his torture palace with its dissection table, gas chamber and 3,000-degree crematorium.
The novel is based on true events and was published in 2003. The historical Henry Howard Homes, who is said to have been known as an animal abuser as a child, is associated with up to nine murders in the 1880s and early 1990s. Production on the film is not expected to begin until next year. The eight episodes of the series are expected to premiere in 2024.
(This article was first published on Saturday, October 08, 2022.)
