When 'The Purge' opened to $34 million earlier this year, 'The Purge 2' became inevitable. Produced for only $3 million, the sci-fi-tinged home-invasion movie is one of the biggest hits of the year so far, second only to 'The Conjuring' when it comes to horror. If you were hoping 'The Purge 2' would come together quickly, you're in luck: the film is racing through development and original writer/director James DeMonaco has signed on to return.

The news of DeMonaco's comeback comes from Variety, but that's all that's fit to print at the moment, except that the sequel is expected to start production by the end of this year. Other than that, we know very little about what 'The Purge 2' is actually about and whether or not it will continue the story that begun in the first film or simply start with a clean slate.

Since 'The Purge' takes place in a near future where all crime is legalized for 24 hours once a year, allowing people to act on their worst impulses, DeMonaco can literally tell whatever story he chooses to tell. The franchise's concept is definitely malleable enough to allow for any option, but considering how popular continuity-heavy horror series, like 'Paranormal Activity,' 'Saw' and 'Insidious,' have been in recent years, we imagine that a sequel will choose to build on what came before rather than tell a separate story.

In addition to the $87 million in worldwide box office receipts, 'The Purge' has another reason for moving forward with a sequel so quickly. As one of the films selected for a special California tax credit, it will see a substantial portion of its budget backed by the state if it gets shooting ASAP. In other words, there is absolutely no reason for Blumhouse Productions to not move full steam ahead on this one.

Like 'Paranormal Activity,' it wouldn't surprise us to see this become an annualized franchise before too long.

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