What is going on with The Purge? We are, of course, referring to the popular horror film franchise – not any real-life events that may or may not be imminent (see also: The Hunger Games). There have been five films (and one TV show) in The Purge franchise since it began in 2013, but there has been a four-year stretch (and counting) since The Forever Purge was released in 2021.
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That film acted as a soft reboot, introducing the twist that the fascist government of the New Founding Father of America retook power and instituted a new clandestine movement: the Forever Purge. Now the rules of the deadly game are gone, and those with the bloodlust are purging at their whim – a terrible turn for the nation, but a great one for the makers of the Purge movies, who now have whole new ground to explore in future installments.
The Purge Producer Hints At Progress On Part 6
Producer Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes is currently doing press for the Anaconda reboot starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, but ComicBook had questions about The Purge to ask, as well. When it comes to The Purge 6, Fuller revealed that he’s ready to work with series creator James DeMonaco on the next installment. “I love working with James [DeMonaco] and I am glad he wants to come back. I love being on set with James. He understands the Purge universe better than anyone else since it came out of his brain.”
Fuller went further than that, hinting that things may already be in motion on getting The Purge 6 into production: “I always like when a creator comes back and directs another installment,” Fuller said. “And Frank [Grillo] and I are friends. I think he is so good for that franchise. I would love for Frank to kick ass all day long. I know James is working on a script. I haven’t seen it yet, but we would love to do another one.”
The Purge 6 Already Has A Story & Star
Actor Frank Grillo (Superman, Avengers: Endgame) has been featured in two of The Purge movies (Anarchy and Election Year), but is as close to a “protagonist” as the franchise has seen. A lot of fans are wondering where Grillo’s character, Leo Barnes, has landed in the era of the Forever Purge.
For his part, Grillo made a major reveal about The Purge 6 when he spoke about it last year: “The script is done. It basically centers around Leo Barnes, my character,” the actor told Screen Rant. “It would be the last of the last of the last, it’s like the guy who keeps retiring. James DeMonaco is going to direct it, if it happens, and it’s a matter of money. It’s a matter of how big they want the movie to be, how much money they want to spend on the movie, considering they’ve done a lot in this franchise. But it’s a great script.”
James DeMonaco has also revealed some information that helps complete this picture: a timeline for shooting it: “the end of this year” or “next year,” DeMonaco told Bloody-Disgusting back in July.
The Purge movies tend to be solid bets for Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes (who shared production and promotional costs). After starting out as a single-setting indie project ($3 million budget), the films have maintained an average budget of $10M – $12M, often earning over $100M at the box office. The only wrinkle in that formula was The Forever Purge, which had the highest budget ($18M) but the lowest returns ($77M).
However, there are a lot of factors to consider before taking The Forever Purge as a sign of franchise decline: 2021 was a year where movies were still very much hit or miss due to pandemic restrictions; the film didn’t have a big cast of stars, or continue the established series storyline fans had invested in. The Forever Purge had been preceded by The First Purge (2018), which was an origin story prequel that was also disconnected from the continuing storyline of Leo Barnes and the revolution (last seen in 2016). A lot of fans were also vocal about the fact that, at the time, The Forever Purge was telling a story of darkening times and authoritarianism that many hoped we were leaving behind.
Needless to say, times have changed (again). Unfortunately, DeMonaco’s storytelling has proven to be incredibly prescient: the concept of authoritarian rule being returned to power in America, the Forever Purge kicking off, and those forming camps of resistance against it all, has never been more timely.
What do you want to see in The Purge 6? Let us know in the ComicBook Forums!
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