The final chapter of 'The Purge' series is heading to theaters this summer — but in
the movie itself, it seems the Purge may never end. Here's everything you need to know about
the fifth "Purge" movie 'The Forever Purge.'
If you've been following the "Purge" franchise over the years, you know that hell truly is
other people — especially if you're out past dark on a Purge night. Set in a dystopian
alternate version of the United States led by The New Founding Fathers of America, the
series focuses on a violent yearly event in which all crime is declared legal for 12 hours,
up to and including mass murder.
"The Forever Purge" was conceived by James DeMonaco, creator of the "Purge" franchise,
who told Entertainment Weekly in 2018 he had a "really cool" notion for the series' next
installment, which he predicted would be the series' final chapter.
The movie entered into development at Universal Pictures in May of 2019, according to Deadline,
at which time it was originally scheduled for release on July 10, 2020.
DeMonaco wrote the screenplay, with Everardo Gout signing on to direct the film. As a filmmaker,
Gout has mainly made a name for himself in television, with credits on series like Netflix's
"Luke Cage" and AMC's "The Terror." But what drew Universal's eyes to Gout, according to
Variety, was his work on National Geographic's "MARS" miniseries, which combined scripted
drama with documentary footage and interviews with actual scientists.
"The Forever Purge" was shot in various locations in California from November 2019 to February
2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the COVID-19 pandemic didn't impact the production of "The Forever Purge," it
did delay the movie's release, which was moved from 2020 to July 2, 2021 — and reports
indicate that "The Forever Purge" really is the franchise's final installment.
"The annual purge will conclude in three, two, one."
Like "The First Purge" before it, "The Forever Purge" will plunge a whole new set of people
into the franchise's typical stew of mayhem, violence, and anarchy. The characters will
likely fall into the mold of the series' other heroes and heroines — they will be vulnerable,
likable, relatable, and tough, but not superheroes.
The movie's lead actors, Ana de la Reguera and Tenoch Huerta will head the cast, with
support from Will Patton, Cassidy Freeman, Josh Lucas, and more.
According to the movie's logline, "The Forever Purge" focuses on a couple named Adela and
Juan. After fleeing a drug cartel in Mexico, they take up a peaceful life on a Texas ranch.
Unfortunately, they've unwittingly walked into a world of trouble, as a group of angry
locals have decided that they're going to take the law into their own hands and extend
the typical 12-hour Purge curfew beyond its time limit. Cue anarchy.
"How's that feel? It's the real purge. The forever purge!"
Adela, Juan, and their newfound friends team up to drive the outsiders away and restore
order — or at least flee to safety and freedom across the border in Mexico.
In a lot of ways, "The Forever Purge" sounds like another opportunity for the series to
explore themes of class warfare, vigilantism, and racial tensions and solidarity, all of
which the series has previously explored to great effect.
Speaking to Total Film in a January interview, director Everado Gout described the movie
as "an amazing story of Latinos and Americans coming together to overcome despair and evil."
Writer James DeMonaco hopes to "set the record straight” with this final edition of the
franchise, aiming to clarify the moral of the story once and for all. From the sound
of things, the movie has no sympathy for the chaos-seeking purgers.
Gout broke down the intentions behind DeMonaco's script in his interview with Total Film, saying,
"[DeMonaco told me] ‘I want my intentions to be crystal clear on what I think about
violence and what’s going on in the world.’ [...] It’s dystopian, but he’s trying
to get us to look in the mirror."
And like all "Purge" movies, part of the point is to make the audience consider what they
would do if they ended up in the characters' shoes.
"Help me."
"The Purge" franchise's timeline is relatively straightforward. "The First Purge" is a prequel
to "The Purge," which is followed by "Anarchy" and then "Election Year" in the timeline.
USA's two-season long "The Purge" TV show takes place between "Anarchy" and "Election
Year." "The Forever Purge" fittingly takes place after "The Purge: Election Year."
Since "Election Year" sets up a future in which the Purge stands a strong chance of
being done away with by the incoming president, the story so far is potentially at a perfect
starting point for a renegade "forever purge."
Plot-wise, the series has always taken the form of an anthology, which gives the viewer
a look at how different social classes react to the stressful hellscape that is "The Purge."
There have only been two characters who have crossed over between editions of the franchise.
Those characters are Edwin Hodge's Dwayne, aka "The Stranger," who appears in "The Purge"
"The Purge: Anarchy," and "The Purge: Election Year," and Frank Grillo's Leo Barnes, aka
"The Sergeant," who appears in "Anarchy" and "Election Year."
Another constant across all iterations of the franchise is Cindy Robinson, who voices
the public announcements that declare the Purge's ending and beginning. Robinson can
in fact be heard in the trailer for "The Forever Purge."
"I'm not telling them to go out and kill people, right?"
"You're just stating the rules."
"The Forever Purge" will be released theatrically, with no announced plans for a simultaneous
streaming release. It will be replacing Universal's previous pick for their July 4 weekend release,
"Top Gun: Maverick," which has had its own release date shuffled over to November 19.
There's actually a reason why you probably won't be seeing the film on the small screen
as soon as you may like. As reported by "Deadline," Universal Pictures recently struck a deal
with theater chains — Cineworld in the U.K. and Regal Cinemas in the U.S. — for a new,
post-pandemic, mutually agreed-upon theatrical window.
According to that agreement, Regal Cinemas will have a 31-day exclusivity window on movies
that open at above $50 million, and a 17-day exclusivity agreement for movies opening below
that threshold. Cineworld will have a 31-day window prior to any sort of pay-on-demand
service, extending to 45 days for any movie that opens at an agreed-upon box office milestone.
What that means is that you won't be seeing "The Forever Purge" on demand for at least
31 days after its release. You will likely have to wait even longer for other streaming
platforms to offer the movie if it happens to make a lot of money at the box office.
Essentially, movie theaters want you back, and "The Forever Purge" is part of the plan.
"Thank you for your participation."
No matter how long they have to wait to see the film's final installment, "Purge" fans
will hopefully feel that "The Forever Purge" serves as a fitting final hurrah for one of
the most interesting, bankable franchises in the modern horror canon.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about "The Purge"
and other horror movies are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.