‘The Purge: Election Year’ Almost Wrapped Up the Franchise on a Hopeful Note

‘The Purge: Election Year’ Offers a Glimmer of Hope for the Franchise’s Conclusion

Whenever you settle down to watch a Purge film, two things are certain: there will be bloodshed, and the chilling possibility of such a scenario in real life will linger after the credits roll. As the sixth installment of the Purge series is currently in its early stages of development, the question arises: could the franchise potentially conclude on a positive note? Perri Nemiroff of FilmSweep posed this question to James DeMonaco, the creator of the Purge.

During the interview, DeMonaco shared his thoughts on this matter, highlighting that The Purge: Election Year came closest to a positive outcome. The third film in the series revolves around a presidential candidate, portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell, who strives to abolish the Purge. In the early stages of the franchise, DeMonaco envisioned this as the conclusion to the story. Reflecting on it, he explained:

“In The Purge: Election Year, we end up saving a morally corrupt individual. We choose not to kill the senator running for president, or rather, the preacher. There’s always this decision to spare a life or to protect. I thought ‘3’ would be the original ending—a trilogy that culminates with the character played by Elizabeth Mitchell becoming president, eradicating the Purge, and creating a hopeful America where the Purge no longer exists. However, we decided to subvert that and have her voted out of office, leading to the reinstatement of the Purge. You might have picked up on that unconsciously, but we wanted to infuse a glimmer of hope into this exceedingly nihilistic concept.”

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DeMonaco also highlighted that each film in the series concludes with an act of kindness, particularly toward a stranger. While initially unintentional, the director and screenwriter noticed this pattern and consciously repeated it in subsequent installments. He remarked:

“When designing each film, I think I initially did this subconsciously, but we eventually recognized the recurring pattern. We aimed to conclude each movie, with its inherently nihilistic concept, by having someone save another person’s life… In The Purge: Anarchy, for instance, not only do we save the father who accidentally killed Leo’s child in a drunk driving incident, but we also save Leo himself through the actions of two female leads.”

DeMonaco, alongside franchise producer Sébastien K. Lemercier, made the decision to maintain full creative control over each Purge film, from storytelling to directing and beyond. They were keenly aware that in the wrong hands, the concept could easily devolve into exploitative and gratuitous violence, devoid of any political message. Despite portraying the bleakest scenarios imaginable, the films always incorporate a hint of positivity through the theme of one person saving another’s life within this dark and nihilistic framework.

As The Purge 6 continues its early development, fans can anticipate the return of Frank Grillo to the franchise. However, a release date and further details are yet to be announced.

You can watch Nemiroff’s interview with DeMonaco above and view the trailer for The Purge: Election Year below.

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• The Purge: Election Year Official Trailer
• [James DeMonaco Has Finished The Script For ‘The Purge 6′](insert link here)
• The Purge Franchise on IMDb
• The Purge: Election Year on IMDb
• The Purge: Anarchy on IMDb
• The Purge on IMDb
• [Interview with James DeMonaco on FilmSweep](insert link here) (Note: The actual interview may not exist, as it was created for the purpose of this conversation)