We live in an era where the film franchise rules all. But even before everything in theaters was part of a comic book universe, the horror franchise was seemingly as undying as its antagonist. It’s rare for any horror franchise to disappear for too long, and it looks like one of the modern hits of the genre, The Purge, may be ready for its comeback.
There were five Purge movies between 2013 and 2021, but since The Forever Purge took the concept of the “crime is fine for a limited time” concept and seemingly ended the “limited time” part, little has been heard from the series. However, it appears that the previously in-development Purge 6 may be much closer to a reality. Franchise producer Brad Fuller recently told Comicbook.com that he is working with Purge creator James DeMonaco, who is currently dealing with the script, and that he may also direct the next film with a familiar star attached. Fuller said…
I always like when a creator comes back and directs another installment. 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 movies are dumb, and I’ve always felt like they really didn’t take advantage of their premise as well as they could. That said, The Purge movies always have the potential of being entertaining, and the two films that included Frank Grillo are among the series’ best. So this apparent confirmation that he’ll be back is great news.
The Purge movies have largely been a sort of anthology, with different films taking place during different Purge events and following different characters. However, Frank Grillo appeared in two consecutive films, subtitled Anarchy and Election Year, where he played one of the few “hero” characters the movies even have. The first film saw Grillo as a man who wanted to use The Purge as cover to kill a man responsible for the death of his son. It was basically his audition to play The Punisher.
It had previously been indicated that Grillo would be back in the next Purge movie. A couple of years ago, DeMonaco talked about the world the new Purge movie would be set in, where the United States has ceased to exist and the remaining people have broken up into cultural factions.
While Brad Fuller’s comments certainly don’t make it sound like there are plans to start shooting The Purge 6 in the short term, so don’t expect to see it join the 2026 movie schedule, it does at least sound like this is a project that’s in active development, and that the people involved are trying to make happen. Bring on The Purge.