DiCaprio to play serial killer in 'White City'

Fresh off the success of the Christopher Nolan-directed Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to play American serial killer H.H. Holmes in an adaptation of Erik "Not The Creator of Savage Dragon" Larsen's nonfiction book Devil in the White City.

The movie has been in development hell for years, the rights having been bought up by Tom Cruise years ago. His claim on it lapsed, allowing DiCaprio and his Appian Way production partner Jennifer Killoran to snap them up.

Holmes was active in late-19th century Chicago, during that city's World's Fair. The book pairs his story to that of the Fair's architect, Daniel Burnham, comparing and contrasting the deeds of the two men who never met but worked within a block of one another.

It also happens to be one of my favourite books, which explains why you are reading about it here and now. Get more details on the movie here. The article notes that changing the killer would be a change of pace for DiCaprio, who rarely plays the villain. That said, Cobb and Billy Costigan were hardly classic heroes, so perhaps the real difference is that playing a straight-up evil murderer is the probably least ambiguous role he's played in years.

DiCaprio will also be seen in the upcoming Clint Eastwood biopic Hoover, in which he plays FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Rumours that DiCaprio will play the entire film in drag are unconfirmed.

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