Universal Gives The Greenlight To The Purge 3

Universal, Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes know when they’re onto a good thing. The three joined forces for two outings of The Purge – and now they’re aiming for a hat trick. Another night of utter bonkers behaviour is on the cards, as development has officially begun on The Purge 3.

James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed the first two features, will be penning the script. It’s not certain at this point if he’ll return to direct, but he’s a pretty happy camper either way:

“I never imagined that The Purge would become the phenomenon it has become,” DeMonaco told Deadline, “and I am thrilled to continue my collaboration with Blumhouse, Sebastien Lemercier, Platinum Dunes and the great team at Universal in building The Purge into a worldwide franchise.”

The Purge and its sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, brought in around $200 million worldwide together. On a combined budget of $12 million, it’s practically a guarantee at this stage that a third film in the series would get the greenlight.

The original flick starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey as a couple who live in a future USA wherein for one night of the year, all crime is legal. That initial outing focused on their family, who wished to remain on lockdown and skip The Purge. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Anarchy followed up those events by spreading a broader canvas and taking to the streets for an action-centric take on the night.

There’s no word on what direction the story of The Purge 3 will take, but our very own Matt Donato spoke exclusively with DeMonaco earlier this year on the topic, confronting him about rumours concerning Michael K. Williams’ character, Carmello. The director hinted that the underground radical might be the focal point for the third effort, with DeMonaco admitting that Williams’ involvement “was purposefully planted…I don’t know if we’ll be lucky enough to do it [The Purge 3], but I purposefully planted him in there, and I made sure I got Michael K. Williams who I love…all very purposeful.”

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