Leonardo DiCaprio Will Play A Serial Killer In Martin Scorsese's 'Devil In The White City'

By Emma G. Gallegos in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 11, 2015 3:10PM

Leo and Marty on set (Miramax)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are teaming up to do something they've wanted to do for a while: an adaptation of Erik Larson's The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America. Scorsese will direct and DiCaprio will play one of Chicago's most prolific serial killers, who did his killing during the World's Fair of 1893, right here in Chicago.

Here's how Deadline describes the role:

DiCaprio will play Dr. HH Holmes, a cunning serial killer believed to have murdered anywhere from 27 to 200 people at a time when the city of Chicago was enthralled with hosting the World’s Fair of 1893. Holmes constructed The World’s Fair Hotel, an inn more lethal than the Bates Motel, especially for young single women. The sociopath used charm and guile to lure guests into what became known as a “murder castle,” a haunt that had a gas chamber, crematorium and a dissecting table where Holmes would murder his victims and strip their skeletons to sell for medical and scientific study.

This will be the sixth project that DiCaprio and Scorsese have made together, and Paramount bought it after a hot auction. As far as period pieces go—and the pair love their period pieces—this is a particularly exciting backdrop. The Exposition was a fascinating time in Chicago history, and world history, really. The World's Fair was a chance to show the rest of the world that Chicago was truly a "Metropolis of the West," according to Paleofuture.

Nikola Tesla showed off some of his latest inventions, the Ferris Wheel made its debut, Buffalo Bill was outside the fair putting on a show with his sharp-shooters, Susan B. Anthony was there stumping for women's rights, L. Frank Baum was a frequent visitor who may have been inspired by the fair's White City and, crucially, Pabst earned its blue ribbon and has been coasting on its laurels ever since.

The Ferris Wheel at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition

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Meet The Serial Killer Leonardo DiCaprio Will Play In 'Devil In The White City'