14 DAY TRIAL // Seeing how “The Purge” was made on a $3 million (€2.1 million) budget and went on to gross $90 million (€65.6 million) worldwide, it’s no wonder that Universal and Blumhouse are already working on a sequel.
In fact, talk of one started even before the original film had finished its run in theaters. “The Purge 2” will drop on June 20, 2014 and will star Frank Grillo as lead, Deadline confirms.
The original film starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey as leads, a wealthy couple preparing for the one night of the year when all crime is legal, The Purge, whose purpose is to help people vent frustrations and release anger so that society can function normally for the rest of the year.
“Frank Grillo (The Grey) will lead the cast of The Next Chapter of The Purge under returning Purge helmer James DeMonaco who is also writing and producing. Plot details are under wraps but there’s plenty of opportunity to explore the dystopian world established in the first film,” Deadline writes.
If you saw “The Purge,” you know how it ended. Having Grillo now billed as lead means that either the sequel will be separate from the events in the original (except for existence of The Purge, that is) or that the two will be connected loosely.
Until “The Purge 2” comes out, Grillo will also be making an appearance in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in April, where he plays Crossbones.