Jason Blum Hints That Another Purge Movie Could Be Coming
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It isn't at all unusual for a horror thriller to turn into a franchise of epic proportions. Back in 2013, "The Purge" became one of these breakout hits. The thriller focused on an annual event in the U.S. where citizens are allowed to commit crime, punishment-free, for one night. After its box office success (it cost $3 million to make but took in an $89 million worldwide gross, according to Box Office Mojo), it spawned four more movies and a television series that lasted two seasons on USA Network.
It looked like 2021's "The Forever Purge" was going to be the last in the series. "We want to end it all, I think, in this one, and I'm very excited," writer and director James DeMonaco told Entertainment Weekly in 2018. "When I came up with the idea and pitched it to everybody, they seemed psyched, and I think it will be a really cool ending, how we take this one home." However, in June while promoting this last film, he backtracked on this statement, telling Dread Central, "Between you and I, man, I really intended for ['The Forever Purge'] to be the last one ... up until 4 months ago when I woke up and had an idea for ['The Purge'] 6.'" The franchise's producer, Jason Blum, also noted at the time that he was trying to get DeMonaco to write a few more films.
Since then, publications have published reports indicating that a script for "The Purge 6" exists (via SlashFilm), and Playlist reported that actor Frank Grillo has said he is committed to the film. Blum recently addressed these recent developments.
Blum calls The Purge 6 a possibility
"I don't have a more solid answer, but I would say it's certainly a possibility," Jason Blum told ComicBook.com about the sequel's status. "We're not for sure doing it, but we're not for sure not doing it, either. We just haven't figured it out yet. I do know that [DeMonaco] has a script. I have not read it yet, but I do know James has written a script and it would certainly be fun to do another one."
So, he has confirmed the existence of the script, but everything else seems up in the air. Should this sixth script go into production, though, it sounds like it will take the franchise to new places. Blum explained the world going forward resembles the dystopian setting of John Carpenter's "Escape from New York," in which all of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison.
"I'll say this: the America that we enter into in 'Purge 6' is not the America we now live in, Blum said in the same interview. "It's been remapped, I should say, in a unique way ... And the other thing I can say, because I think it's already out there, is that, if it happens, it is the return of Frank Grillo's Leo character, so that's fun. But it's definitely ... A new America has been formed. And after, it's about 10 to 15 years after 'The Forever Purge.'"
Whether or not "The Purge 6" goes into production may hinge on how "The Forever Purge" continues to do with audiences. The film was released to theaters on July 2 and launched on streaming services in September. You can rent it on Amazon Prime for $5.99 right now.