Exclusive: The long-awaited film adaptation of Erik Larson’s bestselling book The Devil in the White City just got a shot of adrenaline, as sources tell Deadline that 20th Century has come on to the project with Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star and Martin Scorsese in talks to direct. DiCaprio and Scorsese would also produce along with Stacey Sher, Rick Yorn and DiCaprio’s Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson.

Sources add that there is currently no script for the pic, which is based on the book Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America first published in 2004.

DiCaprio and Scorsese have been developing the project for some time, and sources say they always felt this was a story that has resonated throughout the years. and still does. DiCaprio first landed rights to the book in 2010, and though the project has gone through...