After pumping out three wildly over-the-top thrillers in the space of four years, Blumhouse’s ferocious Purge series is currently lingering in a state of limbo. Series creator James DeMonaco believes the future of the franchise lies on the small-screen, but that hasn’t stopped rumors of The Purge 4 from swirling online.
Frank Grillo, an instrumental cog in the Purge machine since his cracking debut in 2014’s Anarchy, recently touched base on the dormant franchise during an interview with Collider, where the action veteran admitted that although he’s open to reprising the role of Leo Barnes under the right circumstances, he does harbor some apprehensions. First off, the actor reflects on the experience of working within Universal’s cult horror series.
“It is what it is, but it’s great. It’s fun. After Anarchy, Universal called me and said, ‘You’ve got a franchise. We’re gonna continue with this, if you wanna do this.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, this is great!’ And so, when Election Year was even more successful, they were like, ‘Let’s keep doing this!’ I was like, ‘Maybe. I think I might be done, but you should keep doing it!’ But, I love it! [James] DeMonaco, who wrote and directed all of them, reminds me a lot of (Kingdom creator/showrunner) Byron [Balasco], in the sense that he so understands the world he’s created that you just follow him. For an actor, that’s fun.”
Grillo went on to compare his outlook on the Purge franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor, who briefly reprised as Crossbones during Captain America: Civil War, confirmed that he’s all but done with the hardened mercenary.
“If DeMonaco was still involved and they came up with a great idea, then I think I would do [another Purge movie]. Otherwise, I think I’m done. Same thing with Captain America. There’s nowhere for it to go, unless you’re Captain America or Iron Man. They were talking about it, but I was like, ‘You know what? I’d just rather not do it.’ I’m so appreciative and grateful to have been a part of something that big. I’m appreciative of The Purge. It’s become a part of the lexicon and the zeitgeist knows what it is, so that’s been fun. But, it’s time to move on. Don’t stay at the party too long, or you get knocked through the ropes.”
The Purge: Election Year stormed theaters last year to mixed reviews. Exactly where the series goes from here is up for question, but many fans will surely be hoping that Universal secures Frank Grillo one way or another – no Grillo, no party, essentially.
