‘The Purge’ Moves Forward With Third Film

The Purge may perhaps be the epitome of what Hollywood considers to be the high-concept film, which is a film premise that can be easily pitched in just a sentence or two. Based in a world in which there are twelve hours of complete lawlessness and anarchy, the first two Purge films have reeled in a combined $200 million plus on just a combined $12 million budget, and Universal has every reason to believe a new Purge film would bring in more.

James DeMonaco, the man who wrote and directed both The Purge and The Purge: Anarchy, will be lending his talents to the third film of the series for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, Deadline reports. Blumhouse Productions currently has a ten-year studio deal with Universal Pictures, so it makes sense that Universal would bank on The Purge yet again. On top of The Purge‘s current success, horror films are known for their incredibly low costs and high returns, and the only other horror film in recent memory that compares to The Purge in success is the Paranormal Activity series, which has made a combined $800 million plus on very limited budgets.

“I never imagined that The Purge would become the phenomenon it has become, 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.”

There is no word yet on what the third Purge film will be about. The first Purge movie focused itself on a single family, and the second film, Purge: Anarchy, broadened the story across multiple groups. As the two films were so different, it’s practically impossible to guess what kind of scope the third will have. The only thing in this series that we can remotely guarantee is that it will take place in one night of the year–and that night will be on the night of The Purge.

The Purge is a franchise that, judging from the numbers, has hit the entire world by storm. Rarely is it that one sees a series that takes on such a form as this one–a series that excites the world into thinking such a world could indeed exist. Since the first film’s debut, there have been numerous threats of a “real life purge,” wherein citizens would throw laws aside with reckless abandon. While this has yet to truly happen, the fact that the simple threat exists says a lot about the kinds of questions the series raises.

Are you excited about the new Purge film, or has the execution of the last two movies put you off? Let us know your thoughts below!