According to Variety, James DeMonaco has confirmed to be returning to write and direct the sequel to the science fiction horror film, The Purge, for Universal and Blumhouse. The Purge starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headley.
The Purge performed very well in the box office with $87 million this year in global box office after being produced on a budget of $3 million. Thusly, Universal was very open to producing a sequel.
Jason Blum of Blumhouse will produce the project through his first-look deal with Universal. Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and Sebastien Lemercier are also returning to produce. Blumhouse is also in line to receive a $2.25 million tax credit from the state of California for The Purge 2, which was one of 31 projects that received a conditional approval on June 3 for California’s Film and Television Tax Credit program. If it’s cleared by the state, “Purge 2″ will receive the credit covering up to 25% of the budget once production is completed and an audit has established that the production funds were spent in California. The sequel would have to begin shooting by the end of the year and meet several other requirements if it’s to receive the credit.
The Purge is set in the year 2022 when the United States has become “a nation reborn”, with crime and unemployment rates hitting an all-time low, due to the government having instituted an annual 12-hour period called “the Purge” during which all criminal activity (including murder, theft, and rape) becomes legal. The only rules during the Purge is that government officials of “ranking 10 or higher” must remain unharmed and usage of weaponry above “Class 4” (such as WMDs) is forbidden. The Purge is designed to act as a catharsis for the American people, so that they may vent all negative emotions and repressed urges however and on whomever they desire.
There is no word on the plot of the sequel and whether or not any of the first film’s actors will return.
