He’s known in Hollywood for being the Nice Guy, a man of integrity who is always generous with his time, posing for photos with fans and even simply having a yarn with a stranger when going incognito. But despite taking something of a break from the spotlight after the success of The Matrix, in recent years Keanu Reeves has been commanding attention. Since the release of John Wick, Reeves has become the go-to point of call for any action flick, his trademark charisma driving audiences to the cinema in droves.
Now, audiences can once again rest assured that their favourite leading man will return to the big screen in a new role that might just prove his most exciting one yet. It’s been announced that Reeves will star as the lead in Hulu’s adaptation of The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, & Madness At The Fair That Changed America.
For those uninitiated with the project, it was first optioned for development by Tom Cruise before going to Leonardo DiCaprio, who initially was set to star and produce in the feature-length film with Martin Scorsese serving as director and a screenplay by Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, Richard Jewell). Based on the historical crime thriller by Erik Larson, in the years since it was first reported that DiCaprio would helm the project in 2010, the star and Scorsese have moved to executive producers alongside Rick Yorn, Stacey Sher, Mark Lafferty, series director Todd Field and Reeves himself.
The book tells the story of Daniel H. Burnham (set to be played by Reeves) who is a demanding but visionary architect who “races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair”, and Dr Henry H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the same man behind the tortious “Murder Castle” built in the Fair’s shadow.
Sam Shaw has been appointed as writer and executive producer, in addition to show runner. He’s best known for Castle Rock and Manhattan. The upcoming project marks the ninth collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese who seem to hit a home run on everything they put forth together. Currently in the works for the pair is the upcoming film, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is set to premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and The Wager which was only announced recently.
A release date for The Devil In The White City is yet to be released by Hulu, nor is there a trailer. But with the star-stacked cast behind the project, and Keanu Reeves at the forefront, it seems clear that this will be an exciting one to hit the screen and we can’t wait to see what Reeves brings to the role.