Violence in the streets. Civic unrest. Intractable ideological divisions. Is this the latest installment of The Purge or a documentary about the 2016 election?
Where The Purge was a bit more of an intimate, home invasion-style thriller, The Purge: Anarchy expanded the sandbox with Frank Grillo’s Sergeant, a man out for revenge who gets unwittingly caught up in saving the lives of other people instead. Last week we learned that Grillo will be back for The Purge 3, and while a formal plot has yet to be revealed, the actor teases more political elements and a very dangerous mission.
Following the huge success of The Purge and The Purge: Anarchy, a third installment in the franchise was a foregone conclusion. While Anarchy ditched the family from the first film and chose to focus on a new lead with Frank Grillo, the third film sees Grillo returning to reprise his role for another night of violent shenanigans.
We had a new ‘Purge’ film two years in a row, which was very much in keeping with the franchise’s fictional reality in which for one night, every year, citizens “purge” and murder the hell out of each other—if, you know, they’re into that. If you were hoping to see ‘The Purge 3’ hit theaters this year to deliver your annual dose of dystopian violence, sorry, but you’ll just have to wait one more year because this year’s ‘Purge’ has been delayed.
This summer's 'The Purge: Anarchy' bucked just about every horror sequel trend imaginable. It was not only bigger and better than the 2013 original, it made more money. With a worldwide gross of $110 million on a budget of less than $10 million, there was never a moment of doubt that Universal, Blumhouse productions and writer/director James DeMonaco would pull a part three together. And here we are: 'The Purge 3' is now being developed.