UPDATE: After a good six months of what we imagine consisted of creative discussions, contract negotiations, and the occasional spout of bloody mayhem, we finally have official word that The Purge is indeed coming to television. Entertainment Weekly reports that Blumhouse, the horror-bent production company behind the film series, is producing the program concurrently for the USA and Syfy networks. No word just yet on when the show will air or exactly what form the narrative will take, but we’ll keep our eyes open. That’s the key to survival in situations like these, you know.
In the alternate world of James DeMonaco‘s The Purge, citizens of the United States are invited to embrace their darkest desires as even the worst crimes are legal for a single night each year. But if DeMonaco has his way, The Purge may be going weekly as a TV series.
While speaking with CinemaBlend, DeMonaco was asked about a potential Purge television show. In response, he said “it’s so weird you bring that up. Yes! Not an anthology… I guess kind of an anthology—more of an interwoven anthology. They came to me about a TV show, my idea is that you do six or seven storylines. And I would kind of intercut them, use flashbacks.”
DeMonaco indicated that The Purge TV series is “far ahead” and deals are currently being made, adding that show would incorporate the Purge night with flashbacks that would explore what drove the people to kill. “It will be interesting to show those arcs, those dramatic and complex arcs that get people to where they pick up a gun or a knife and kill someone else. I think there’s something cool that we can do with the real estate of TV — 10 hours, potentially.”
It sounds like The Purge may be taking the Fargo approach of sharing the universe of the movies without overt connections to the characters that we’ve met in the first three films. But considering the premise of The Purge, it’s actually well suited for a recurring line up of disposable characters, especially if each season picks up with a new Purge in a different location.
What would you like to see in The Purge television series? Share your thoughts below!
Image: Blumhouse/Universal Pictures
