Purge 4 has found its director in Sundance breakout Gerard McMurrray

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

THE PURGE series has become an unexpected sensation, as the recent film – ELECTION YEAR – easily became the highest grossing of the three with $118 million worldwide (off a $10 million budget). A fourth film is naturally on the way, and the upcoming horror murder-fest has just found its director in Sundance standout, Gerard McMurray.

THR got the scoop that McMurray will be taking over the series from James DeMonaco, who will still have a hand in the series and has written a draft for the upcoming PURGE 4. McMurray wowed audiences at Sundance this year with his hazing drama BURNING SANDS, which was nominated for the grand jury prize and picked up by Netflix.

DeMonaco hand-picked McMurray for the job, saying how he was impressed with the director’s confidence behind the camera:

"I have not seen a film as confidently directed in a long time as Burning Sands, and I'm excited to see Gerard's own expression of the Purge world.”

There are no plot details for the movie, but it is being slated for a July 4, 2018, release, so expect plenty of news to hit by the end of the year as shooting should begin soon.

Each PURGE movie is more successful than the last. There’s just something about watching America turn itself into a lawless hellscape audiences find so appealing and, sadly, plausible. From a film-to-film standpoint as the movies grow in scope and ideas the quality goes up, and the reception gets better and better. McMurray is under a lot of pressure to keep the streak going, but if he’s as confident as DeMonaco believes he can be then he will certainly deliver a great film. Or at least a bloody one, which is great as well.

THE PURGE 4 arrives July 4, 2018.