The newly released Purge sequel The Forever Purge was originally being promoted as being the final chapter in the franchise – but franchise creator James DeMonaco has since revealed that he has come up with an idea for another sequel in recent months. Before he said that in public, he told the actor he wants to star in what we're calling The Purge 6 for now: Frank Grillo. Grillo previously played the character Leo Barnes in both The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year.
As it turns out, Grillo actually spilled the beans on this way back in January. Speaking with Collider, he said,
We are talking, [DeMonaco] and I, another Purge movie. … He reached out to me not too long ago and Sébastian [K. Lemercier], the producer, and they're like, 'What do you think?' and I'm like, 'What do you think?' and they're like, 'We talked to Universal and we'll see Leo Barnes in the [next] Purge if we can come up with something great.' I said, 'I'm in. I'll do it in a heartbeat.'"
Collider was able to ask DeMonaco about what Grillo told them while DeMonaco was doing press for The Forever Purge. DeMonaco said,
I had a new idea. I pitched it to everybody and they really liked it, so if the audience wants it and the cinema gods tell us we can do it, I think we have another one that we’d be excited to do.
Is that the one that you had talked about possibly bringing Frank Grillo back for?
DeMONACO: Yes. How did you know?
Frank Grillo told me about it.
DeMONACO: I’m not on social media, but I got calls from people saying, “Frank is talking about a Purge 6 that he’s gonna be in.” I was like, “That son of a bitch! I told him secretly.” He’s so excited. I love that character. I was the first one that was like, “This is the perfect way to bring him back. It would be so fun for the audience.”
DeMonaco has written every film in the Purge franchise and directed the first three. He handed The First Purge over to Gerard McMurray and The Forever Purge to Everardo Gout, but if this sequel with Grillo in the lead gets off the ground,
Maybe I would love to direct it with him. It would be really fun."
The filmmaker went on to give some hints about the story to Slashfilm:
Dude, my Purge 6 idea is all about Frank. It's all about the Leo character. Without giving anything away, I think he's off on his own, but he's going to be called back into action, hopefully on Purge 6, if we're lucky enough to do it. I hope that Leo comes back. That's the goal. When I came up with Purge 6, he was the center of the idea. I'm hoping that we get to do that with him."
Another Purge movie starring Frank Grillo sounds like a good time to me. We'll have to wait and see whether or not Universal is going to give it a greenlight.