‘The Purge’ Franchise Just Got a Huge Update 4 Years After the Last Movie

Franchise creator James DeMonaco is ready to unleash another night of terror with a new entry into The Purge franchise. In an exclusive interview with Bloody Disgusting, DeMonaco confirmed that he and his wife have completed a script for the sixth installment, which is now in the hands of Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, and that filming could begin as early as late 2025. “I just finished a script. My producer, Sébastien Lemercier, has read multiple drafts, given me notes. We just handed it to Jason,” DeMonaco shared during the interview. “I’m really happy with it. I hope they like it. I think it’s cool and fun. We’re hoping next year would be great to shoot, maybe the end of this year if timing works out.”

DeMonaco has proven vital to the franchise. He wrote all five existing films – The Purge (2013), Anarchy (2014), Election Year (2016), The First Purge (2018), and The Forever Purge (2021) – as well as directed the first three entries. He also developed and produced USA’s television adaptation, which aired from 2018-2019.

DeMonaco also recently spoke with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff about the sixth installment, during which he provided details on the “nightmarish version” of America that the film will bring to life, extrapolating current sociopolitical issues within the country. “And it’s a broken America. We’re remapping,” he shared. “[‘The Purge 6’] is about the remapping of America based on ideology, sexuality and religion, so that the states are broken down. You have your Black state, you have your gay state, you have your white evangelical state. And it’s really a broken country.”

Bringing Back Fan Favorites and Introducing Powerful New Characters

During the interview with Bloody Disgusting, DeMonaco teased the return of “the people’s favorite character,” strongly hinting at Frank Grillo’s reprisal of Sgt. Leo Barnes, the former LAPD sergeant from Anarchy and Election Year. “Someone’s coming back who I love, and I think the audience loves,” he said, stopping short of sharing names.

In addition to fan-favorites, the new script is said to introduce “real warrior women” – strong female protagonists who take center stage on Purge Night in ways the franchise hasn’t yet explored. DeMonaco is co-writing with his wife, injecting a fresh perspective into the story: “It’s been really fun to write. And I’m writing with my wife, so I’m getting a nice female perspective,” he shared.

The Next Chapter in the Dystopian Saga

DeMonaco had previously maintained a reluctance to return to The Purge after The Forever Purge, but thankfully thriller fans can look forward to a continuation. Now that the sixth installment’s script has been submitted to Blumhouse, it’s under review. DeMonaco is hopeful about the timeline for moving forward with filming, though notes that it might be difficult “now [with] the powers that be, so we’ll see what happens.”

In the meantime, fans have more to look forward to from DeMonaco with his upcoming horror feature, The Home, which opens in theaters on July 25.