The original low-budget horror thriller** The Purge** scored healthy returns at the box office and spawned sequel The Purge: Anarchy. So it’s not that shocking to learn that** Anarchy**’s own success has itself now led Universal and Blumhouse to kick off development on a third film.
Writer/director James DeMonaco, who has overseen both of the movies so far, will be back on duty for the new outing, likely working once again with a thrifty budget in the hopes of scoring big.
The Purge films take place in an alternate America where the government has decreed that on one night a year all crime – up to and including murder – will be legal and emergency services will be suspended. The idea is that allowing citizens to loose their violent, vengeful impulses once a year will keep order the rest of the time. There’s also an undercurrent about people targeting the poorer factions of society…
Originally focused on one family in a home invasion tale, the franchise then moved to the streets of Los Angeles to explore the wider implications of the frightening night. There’s no word yet on what ideas DeMonaco has for the third outing.
“I never imagined that **The Purge **would become the phenomenon it has become,” DeMonaco tells Deadline, “and I am thrilled to continue my collaboration with Blumhouse, Sebastien Lemercier, Platinum Dunes and the great team at Universal in building The Purge into a worldwide franchise.”
Can it keep the flow going? We’ll likely find out next year.