New has recently hit the web suggesting that Frank Grillo may not be returning to the Purge cinematic (or televised) universe anytime soon. In an interview with Collider, Grillo suggested that ship may have sailed. “It is what it is, but it’s great. It’s fun,” Grillo told the outlet. 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 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.”
Time will tell if Grillo is actually hell bent on not returning to the upcoming television series or future sequels or if he is just attempting to subvert expectations. We will keep you apprised as we learn more.
James DeMonaco wrote and directed the first three installments in the series. The second and third films both feature Grillo in a starring role.
