Look, I know people might be surprised to hear this, but it’s true–I’m an avid fan of the ‘Purge’ franchise. Even though the films are often seen as micro-budget horror-thrillers that aren’t top-tier entertainment, I’ll defend them to my dying breath. I feel as if “The Purge” is a franchise that is one of the most thematically strong and creative that we’ve seen over the past decade, hands down. So, with that admission out of the way, I can’t begin to express my happiness that Frank Grillo recently admitted to The Playlist Podcast (full interview coming soon) that he’s definitely returning for “The Purge 6.”
You may remember that this year saw the release of “The Forever Purge.” And though that film does put a bit of a button on the entire franchise, wrapping up the story that began in 2013, fans of the series know there is plenty more story left to tell. And back in July, during the press blitz for ‘Forever Purge,’ filmmaker James DeMonaco admitted that he had an idea for a sixth film, though he wasn’t sure if it was going to happen, but if it did, he wanted Grillo back as the badass Leo Barnes.
Well, fast-forward to now and Grillo not only confirms ‘Purge 6’ is happening, but he also revealed that he’s definitely returning to his fan-favorite character.
“Committed! We committed to doing that— ‘Purge 6’ with [James DeMonaco] directing,” said Grillo. “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.’”
For those that don’t remember, Grillo appeared in “The Purge: Anarchy” (my personal favorite) and “The Purge: Election Year.” However, he has yet to return to the franchise, considering the next two films went in different directions with the story. So, the idea that Grillo is coming back is nothing but great news.
Again, you can hear Grillo talk more about that, plus talking about that other franchise he’s associated with that is nowhere near as popular as “The Purge”—I think it’s called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the upcoming podcast, he talked about his hopes for returning to the MCU and possibly taking up a new character in the process.
“The Forever Purge” is available on VOD now and will hit Blu-ray on September 28.
-additional reporting by Mike DeAngelo and Brian Farvour
