It’s looking like The Purge 6 is already in the works, and better yet, series star Frank Grillo has confirmed his plans to return. In 2014, Grillo made his debut in the franchise as Sgt. Leo Barnes, appearing in the first sequel The Purge: Anarchy. The actor later reprised the role for The Purge: Election Year, the third installment of the movie series. While the character emerged as a fan favorite, Leo hasn’t been seen in the series since.
Recently, Grillo spoke about the current state of The Purge franchise on The Playlist Podcast. He revealed that The Purge 6 is already in active development, and he’s waiting to receive the screenplay from The Purge creator James DeMonaco. Grillo also says DeMonaco will return to direct the movie, after handing the keys over to other directors for the past two installments. The actor also suggests that Leo will be the central character this time around. From the interview:
“Committed! We committed to doing that- Purge 6 with [James DeMonaco] directing. It’s based on the Leo Barnes character. I’m excited. He’s going to send me the script. He just finished it. So, yeah, I’m really psyched about that. I love doing the Purge movies…I’m psyched, they called me and said James wanted to direct one more and I’m like, ‘Don’t even tell me. I’m in.'”
These comments are in line with an idea James DeMonaco previously shared for a sixth Purge movie. Back in July, DeMonaco said in an interview with Slash Film he had a concept in mind for another story that would be all about Frank Grillo’s character. He noted at the time that he was still “hoping” it would actually happen, but a big step forward to that goal has been taken with DeMonaco finishing the screenplay.
“Dude, my Purge 6 idea is all about Frank,” DeMonaco said. “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.”
A television series adaptation aired between 2018-19, and the fourth movie The First Purge was released in 2018. This year saw the release of the fifth installment, The Forever Purge, which was intended to cap off the movie series. The movie could have effectively served as the final installment, though there is still a lot of story left to tell with Leo Barnes, a stone that Frank Grillo and James DeMonaco are not willing to leave unturned.
Typically, The Purge movies focus on one night of the year where any and all crime is legal, including murder. The Forever Purge was set years after the annual Purge had been reinstated with a fringe group continuing their own Purge beyond the limitations of the event. It did well enough in theaters, given its mid-pandemic release, so the odds are high that The Purge 6 will get its green light. DeMonaco previously said that if the audience wants it, he’ll do it. This news comes to us from The Playlist.