The Purge 5: All About The Forever Purge
There will be a The Purge 5, titled The Forever Purge, in what series creator James DeMonaco has stated will be the final movie in the franchise.
This article is more than 2 years old
While The Purge franchise won’t win any awards and for the most part it is schlocky entertainment at best, it has been quite successful. So much so, that it has produced four movies and a TV series. But with all successful franchises, more is better. This is why there will be a The Purge 5, titled The Forever Purge, in what series creator James DeMonaco has stated will be the final movie in the franchise. So, how did we get to number five and what do we know about it?
THE PURGE, ONE THROUGH THREE
The first movie in the Purge series was an unexpected hit. It was filmed on what may be considered a micro-budget in today’s Hollywood for $3 million.
The franchise Purge 5 will add on to is a dystopian horror flick where once a year, over a 12-hour span, the country opens up for a purge, where all crime, including murder, becomes legal. Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady headlined the movie that was written and directed by James DeMonaco and produced by Blumhouse Productions. The first film was set entirely in one place, the home of Hawke and Heady’s characters.
The second purge, The Purge: Anarchy, followed the same blueprint as the first, this time though, DeMonaco took the audience outside, following a LA police sergeant, played by Frank Grillo, as he intends to seek some revenge for his son’s death but winds up protecting a married couple who have broken down on the freeway as the purge begins.
The third purge, The Purge: Election Year, has Frank Grillo return to his role as LA sergeant Leo Barnes, this time he is the head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, played by Elizabeth Mitchell. His services are called into action as the Senator, a presidential candidate, has been marked for death on the Purge night because of her vow to eliminate the purge if she is elected to be president.
THE TV SERIES
The success of the first three movies allowed for DeMonaco to create The Purge TV series. The series premiered on the USA Network and enjoyed a brief two-season run, consisting of ten episodes in each season.
Unfortunately for DeMonaco and the USA Network, the series didn’t get a positive critical reception. USA took a chance by green lighting a second season, but the numbers remained low, thus ending with its cancelation.
The series told the story of how the purge came to be but didn’t have quite the same bite as the first three movies. There was but one actor from the movies that appeared in the series, that was Cindy Robinson who provided the voice for Purge Emergency Broadcast System. The failure of the TV show didn’t slow things down though, because on the way to Purge 5 we got…
THE FIRST PURGE
The fourth Purge had DeMonaco take us back to the beginning. It was called, appropriately, The First Purge. It did not star any actors from the previous three movies, but it did bring with it Marisa Tomei. The movie, again written by DeMonaco, told the story of how America’s third political party, the New Founding Fathers of America, came into power and brought with it the Purge.
THE PURGE 5: THE FOREVER PURGE
Purge 5 is the final film in the franchise. Just ask DeMonaco. Back in 2018, after his The First Purge pulled in a whopping $137 million at the box office, he confirmed that a fifth and final movie will be shot. He told Entertainment Weekly, I have it in my head,” says DeMonaco. “I think I’m going to write it. I think it’s a great way to end it all. We want to end it all, I think, in this one, and I’m very excited. When I came up with the idea and pitched it to everybody, they seemed psyched, and I think it will be a really cool ending, how we take this one home.”
While DeMonaco has written Purge 5 (he has also written the previous four) he will not be in the directors’ chair for this one. His last foray in that role came on the second film, The Purge: Anarchy.
For the Purge 5, Everardo Gout (The Terror, Snowpiercer), will take lead as director. The Mexican filmmaker’s resume isn’t extensive when it comes to directing feature films with only one in the books, the 2011 crime thriller Days of Grace, but he does have mucho experience behind the lens on television.
Blumhouse will return in their role as the production studio, along with Universal.
ANY BIG NAMES?
Chances are fans won’t see any huge name actors in Purge 5. The days of Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Lena Heady, and Frank Grillo are gone. But you will see some recognizable faces. Set to appear in Purge 5 are…
Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama, Poseidon)
Will Patton (Armageddon, Halloween)
Ana de la Reguera (Nacho Libre)
Cassidy Freeman (Don’t Look Back, Longmire).
THE PLOT OF PURGE 5
It looks like DeMonaco aims to change things up a bit for Purge 5. While the previous four entries have had a metropolitan/urban nature to them, DeMonaco looks to change this setting.
It is unknown if Purge 5 plans on going back to the single setting of a home or if he is leaving the urban feel for some new place altogether. Other than that, DeMonaco and his crew have kept a lid on what fans will see.
PUGE 5’s RELEASE DATE
COVID has purged many things, including release dates. This final film, which has been shot and ready to go, was first scheduled to be released in the summer of 2020 but that date has long passed. The Forever Purge is now scheduled to be released next summer, July 9, 2021. Who’s ready for a final purge?
