Goons: 5 join the cast of horror film from The First Purge director Gerard McMurray

he Purge franchise creator James DeMonaco directed the first three movies in that series, then when he decided to pass the helm over to another director for the fourth film, a prequel called The First Purge, the person chosen for the job was Gerard McMurray, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2017 Netflix drama Burning Sands. Earlier this month, we learned that McMurray is currently in production on his first movie since The First Purge was released six years ago: the horror film Goons, which has The Exorcism‘s Chloe Bailey and Power‘s Michael Rainey Jr. in the lead roles. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed the names of five more cast members. They are: Serayah McNeill (Empire), SteVonté Hart (Bel-Air), rapper YG, J. Alphonse Nicholson (P-Valley), and Tyler Lepley (Harlem). Details on the characters they’ll be playing have not been revealed.

Filming on Goons is taking place in New Orleans and nearby areas, and the story is said to be set amid the eerie backdrop of the state’s cane fields and plantations. McMurray wrote the script with Hodge K. Johnson, but details on the plot are being kept under wraps.

Tommy Oliver is producing the film through the New Fear Unlocked Productions genre label of his company Confluential Films, which is dedicated to making “bold, elevated, culturally specific horror films from creators of color.” Confluential Films is also fully funding the project.

Oliver provided the following statement: “I can’t wait for audiences to see what Gerard and I are cooking up with the kick-ass squad we’ve assembled. I also couldn’t be more excited to kick off New Fear Unlocked with this film from such a talented director.“

McMurray added: “I’m beyond excited to direct a film in the horror genre. Goons is a love letter to my hometown of New Orleans, and a deeply personal story for me. Producing this film along with Confluential/New Fear Unlocked shows the power of Black storytellers with a collaborative spirit.“ Commenting on the new additions to the cast, the director said, “YG, J. Alphonse, Serayah, SteVonté, and Tyler all bring their own unique flavor to this amazing recipe we are cooking up on Goons here in my hometown of New Orleans. I can’t wait for the world to see what we are putting together with this young, gifted cast.“

Does Goons sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast that has been assembled? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.