Frank Grillo may be only playing a supporting role in Marvel‘s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, but he made a rock solid lead in last year’s “The Purge: Anarchy“.
It’s no surprise that it would get a sequel as the movie earned USD110.6 million on a budget of just USD9 million, with critics praising Grillo’s performance and noting that it was an improvement over the original. And now, the movie is ready to soar higher at the box office as Variety reported that Grillo is in final negotiations to return and reprise his role in the franchise.
Grillo won’t be the only one returning to the sequel as franchise creator James DeMonaco will return to write and direct it. Jason Blum will also return to produce with Sebastian Lemercier, Michael Bay, and his Platinum Dunes partners, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form.
The original sci-fi thriller, which starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey, is about a family who faces the ultimate test when an unexpected intruder turns them into the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalised. The movie was a huge box office success as it grossed USD89 million worldwide on a production budget of USD3 million.
Its sequel, however, ditched the events that happened in the first film. Not only did it introduce a brand new group of main players who try to survive the night of the Purge, an anti-Purge resistance group was also introduced, elevating the intensity of the film. In this film, Grillo played Sergeant Leo, a man who seeks revenge on the night, only to get pulled into protecting a group of people who are left without shelter.
As for the 3rd film, Blum revealed that it will be a prequel, centering on “the New Founding Fathers Revolutionaries and the very first purge in the year 2017″. Though the scheduling problems with Grillo’s DirecTV show “Kingdom” threatened the actor’s ability to reprise the role, Variety wrote that they were able to work out those issues.
Grillo can seen next in sci-fi action pic “Beyond Skyline” opposite “The Raid” star Iko Uwais. He also stars in the Akiva Goldsman pic “Stephanie” and will also reprise his role as Crossbones in “Captain America: Civil War”.
Slated for release on 1st July 2016, the filming for “The Purge 3” is expected to begin in September.
Source: Variety / Image source: Blumhouse.
