Jun Sato/WireImage.comLeonardo DiCaprio has found himself a bloody good part to play.
The actor is set to star as a serial killer in a big-screen adaptation of Erik Larson's bestselling nonfiction book The Devil in the White City.
DiCaprio will portray H.H. Holmes, who is believed to have killed as many as 200 people in Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair. The sociopath did his deadly deeds in a hotel that he himself built that later became known as the "murder castle." It was equipped with such devices as a gas chamber, dissecting table and crematorium.
Holmes would place ads in local newspapers to lure unsuspecting female newcomers to the Windy City to his deathtrap.
It's a part that DiCaprio has been very interested in playing for some time. Tom Cruise had actually optioned the rights to the book in 2003 with the intention of portraying Holmes, so DiCaprio decided to develop another project using public domain material. However, he was eventually able to acquire the book's screen rights and now will not only take on Holmes, but produce the movie as well.
Sounds like this flick could be killer.