The Purge Creator Wants Frank Grillo to Return for Sequel

In the buildup to the release of The Forever Purge, series creators James DeMonaco and fans had assumed it was the final entry into the movie franchise, but now that the filmmaker has had time to conjure new ideas, he has confirmed he has a plan for a sixth film in the series, which would see the return of Frank Grillo. With the latest film in the franchise having only just landed in theaters, it's unknown if it will resonate strongly enough with fans to warrant a follow-up, but with The Purge TV series having been canceled after two seasons, it's possible audiences will be more desperate than ever to return to the dystopian world.

"Dude, my Purge 6 idea is all about Frank. It's all about the Leo character," DeMonaco shared with /Film. "Without giving anything away, I think he's off on his own, but he's going to be called back into action, hopefully on Purge 6, if we're lucky enough to do it. I hope that Leo comes back. That's the goal. When I came up with Purge 6, he was the center of the idea. I'm hoping that we get to do that with him."

The first The Purge in 2013 introduced us to a world in which all violent crime was legalized for 12 hours a year, known as an annual "Purge," which would not only allow a cathartic and brutally violent release for American citizens, but also culled the poor and weak from each community, given that they were largely defenseless. In this regard, the motivating factor of the series has been the concept more than specific characters, though Grillo's Leo appeared in both The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year.

Interestingly, even before DeMonaco hinted at Grillo's return, the actor himself teased that possibility earlier this year.

"We are talking, [DeMonaco] and I, another Purge movie," Grillo admitted to Collider. "He reached out to me not too long ago and Sébastian [K. Lemercier], the producer and they're like, 'What do you think?' and I'm like, 'What do you think?' and they're like, 'We talked to Universal and we'll see Leo Barnes in the [next] Purge if we can come up with something great.' I said, 'I'm in. I'll do it in a heartbeat.'"

The Forever Purge is in theaters now.

Would you like to see Grillo return to the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!