James DeMonaco talks about the potential direction for a third Purge movie, and which characters it might specifically involve.
This article contains spoilers forThe Purge: Anarchy.
It’s official. The Purge: Anarchy is living up to its namesake at the U.S. box office. The second movie in as many years in the dystopian franchise has opened, and it opened big to $29.8 million on a purported $9 million budget. That’s the kind of number that horror dynasties are built on. Perhaps one has been laid too this weekend, since the box office news coincided with Blumhouse Productions, production company of The Purge series as well as Insidious and Paranormal Activity, announced its production deal with Universal Pictures. For the next 10 years, Blumhouse and Universal stand poised to deliver horror on the big screen and the small one.
But in the immediate aftermath, fans just want to know where The Purge’s universe will go next after Leo was carried off that front yard by Eva. Well, according to director James DeMonaco, it may have something entirely to do with another, smaller character that left a big impression during The Purge: Anarchy.
“I definitely planted the seed,” DeMonaco said when I asked him about the importance of Michael K. Williams’ revolutionary Carmelo to future Purge films. “[I] planted the seed specifically through Michael’s character.”
However, as our conversation continued, both he and the present star Frank Grillo noted that nothing was set in stone. “It could all be moot if nobody shows up,” Grillo said. Given the success of this weekend, I doubt it has the remote chance of being moot now.
DeMonaco added later that Universal executives have already talked to him about a third Purge, as well as the role of Grillo’s Leo in the series too. However, DeMonaco did not appear entirely committed yet to another one. “If I come up with a good story that I feel I can tell well, I’ll do it. If I can’t, I wont. I won’t just do it to do it.”
But there has certainly been talk. Actor Michael K. Williams confirmed as much when I asked him if he had talked to DeMonaco about doing another one.
“Yeah, there’s been talk, and the rumor mill’s been buzzing, so we’ll see.” Whether that means DeMonaco specifically is unclear. However, you do not hire an actor of Williams’ caliber for a one-and-done five-minute role in a genre film like this unless there are plans to see more of Carmelo later.
And perhaps we will.
You can follow these links to read our complete interviews with James DeMonaco and Frank Grillo, and Carmen Ejogo and Michael K. Williams, respectively.
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