Everybody loves a good old-fashioned grim dystopia, and, between this year’s two Richard Bachman adaptations and the “Hunger Games” film slated for release next November, Hollywood is spoiling us for choice at a time when America’s political climate seems about as dystopian as it’s ever been. “The Purge,” a 12-year-old horror franchise set in a near-future America where the law takes an annual holiday, hasn’t had an installment in four years, but rest assured that its sixth film is on the way.
Producer Brad Fuller – Ready for “Purge” Action Once More
This past Christmas Eve, Brad Fuller, who has co-produced (via Platinum Dunes) every “The Purge” movie thus far, sat down for an interview with ComicBook to discuss another production of his: the new Anaconda film. Nonetheless, his interviewers also brought up the subject of “The Purge,” whereupon he explained that the franchise’s sixth film (following 2021’s “The Forever Purge”) is currently in the works. He said that franchise creator (and director of the first three films) James DeMonaco is now “working on a script. I haven’t seen it yet, but we would love to do another one.”
Fuller was clearly very excited at the prospect of collaborating once more with DeMonaco on the latter’s brainchild. “I love being on set with James,” he professed, “He understands the Purge universe better than anyone else.” He was similarly enthusiastic about the potential return of Frank Grillo, who played the law enforcement officer Leo Barnes in the second and third films, “The Purge: Anarchy” (2014) and “The Purge: Election Year” (2016). Fuller described Grillo as his friend, and explained: “I think he is so good for that franchise. I would love for Frank to kick ass all day long.”
Frank Grillo – The Star of “The Purge 6”?
Interestingly, Grillo himself seems to have been way ahead of the curve almost two years ago. In February 2024, he told ScreenRant that “The script is done,” that the sixth “The Purge” film would feature Leo Barnes as its central character, and that DeMonaco would return to the director’s chair for it. However, he wasn’t altogether certain that this movie was going to get made. “It’s a matter of money,” he explained, “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.”
On the Matter of Money as Regards “The Purge”
The original “The Purge,” released in 2013, was made with only $3 million and grossed $91.3 million. Budgets have gotten steadily larger as the franchise has progressed, and this has had the natural effect of reducing profits. Nonetheless, the franchise’s least profitable film, “The Forever Purge,” still turned a profit of $77 million on an $18-million budget, a success that is all the more auspicious considering that it was released at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic still significantly limited theatergoing.
The post-“Forever Purge” Era – This Franchise’s Most Terrifying Stage Yet?
“The Forever Purge” also injected a particularly frightening development into the world of “The Purge”: as the title suggests, American civilians rise up against the despotic ruling party so that the Purge doesn’t end after 24 hours. Now that the United States has been plunged into permanent anarchy, just how much derrière will Grillo’s tough ex-cop be privileged to kick for our viewing pleasure? How much resonance will “The Purge 6″‘s vision of future America have in the years to come?
I suspect that the answer to the first question will be “a lot,” while it would be premature to speculate at this early stage about the answer to the second one. We’ll get that answer once “The Purge 6” is completed and released – provided, of course, that America isn’t plunged into permanent anarchy in the meantime.
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