The Purge Creator Teases Plot Details for Upcoming Sequel

The first The Purge in 2013 largely unfolded in one affluent home as it was targeted by killers, with the scope of each subsequent entry expanding the franchise in compelling ways. Series creator James DeMonaco has already written the upcoming sixth entry into the feature-film franchise, with the filmmaker revealing some new details about what the plot will explore. It’s currently unknown when the new movie could head into production, as the writers’ strike is impacting all productions in the industry, but these first details imply that the sequel could be breaking new ground within the long-running franchise.

“It’s not completely different than previous movies, but it’s a new America that we’re entering into,” DeMonaco shared with Variety. “In The Forever Purge, America kind of collapsed, and it’s really kind of mapped itself according to different ideologies. The states are based on sexuality, religion, and ideology. So we’ve broken apart and the state of discord is at its worst. We enter The Purge in that world.”

The original film explored a dystopic society in which the American government made all violent crimes legal for 12 hours in order to “purge” their more violent tendencies. The debut film earned three sequels, a prequel, and a TV series. The last entry, 2021’s The Forever Purge, largely took place after the events of the annual purge, highlighting that the insidious nature of violence could no longer be contained to the annual tradition.

The upcoming sequel will break new ground for the status of America in the franchise, but it will also be embracing its past, as Frank Grillo is set to return to the franchise after starring in The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year.

“[James DeMonaco’s] got the script, man,” Grillo revealed to ComicBook.com earlier this year. “The script has been written, he submitted it to Universal. Went to [producer Jason] Blum, Michael Bay. There’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen. But it’s Leo Barnes-centric. It’s about Leo Barnes and it’s really was the Swan Song for the series. I know they’ve said that before, but James only directed one, two, and three. The last movie he directed was Election Year and he’s only been involved as a producer going forward from there, but he wants to direct this. I’m like,before I start walking on the cane, it’d be a good idea to do it soon. But Universal and Blum haven’t — they just have it on the back burner. It was hot, it was hot for a minute. It was hot for a minute, and then it wasn’t.”

Stay tuned for details on The Purge 6.

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