Keanu Reeves has become a very busy actor in recent years. After smaller roles in the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, Reeves has headlined the John Wick sequels and the recent Matrix Resurrections. But this upcoming Hulu project will be the first time the actor will take a lead role in a television series.
Hulu limited series
Keanu Reeves will star in an adaptation of a non-fiction book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. The book by Erik Larson is set in 1893 Chicago, during the Columbian Exposition fair.
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 4, 2022 Reeves will be playing the character of Daniel Burnham. Burnham is an architect who was responsible for designing the Columbian Exposition fair, as well as the urban planning for Chicago, Manila, and Washington D.C. around the same time. But it was also during this time that the serial killer H. H. Holmes came into prominence, whose modus operandi involved luring victims. Holmes would commit his crimes in his so-called “Murder House” in the midst of the aforementioned Chicago Fair. The series title will be shortened to Devil in the White City. It currently has a tentative target of eight episodes. The original plans were for Devil in the White City to be a theatrical film starring Leonardo DiCaprio with Martin Scorsese set to direct, similar to their prior collaborations like Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), Shutter Island (2010), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2014) . DiCaprio had purchased the rights to the book as early as 2010. However, due to developmental setbacks and delays, the project did not come into fruition.
Full circle
It should be noted that Keanu Reeves started acting on television. At a young age, Reeves was a youth corresponded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). This was for the news magazine style youth oriented show Going Great, which would later air in the U.S. on Nickelodeon. His first acting role was in an episode of the television sitcom Hangin’ In, also on the CBC. Reeves would later make his first theatrical appearance in the film Youngblood (1986). He would begin being on the radar of moviegoers in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and its sequel Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. His first action role in Point Break (1991) would later lead to roles in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Speed (1994), Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), before finally becoming a global star in The Matrix (1999).
♬ original sound - Xfire - Xfire Reeves would slow down after the third Matrix film and starring as DC Comics magus John Constantine in Constantine (2005). He would later find a resurgence after starring in John Wick (2014).
Production details so far
No other casting details have been released for Devil in the White City so far, but it is rumored that Robert Pattinson was being approached for the role of H. H. Holmes. No word on whether DiCaprio will make an on-screen appearance in the series. The series will be directed by Oscar nominee Todd Field (In the Bedroom). The series Showrunner will be Sam Shaw (Castle Rock). Alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Davisson, Mark Lafferty, Rick Yorn, and Keanu Reeves himself will serve as producers. Devil in the White City may begin production in 2023 with a tentative 2024 release on Hulu. In the meantime, you can catch up with Keanu Reeves voicing Batman in DC League of Super-Pets.
