The Forever Purge: Everything We Know About The Fifth Purge Movie

The Purge series is one of the most successful horror franchises of the past decade. So far, the movies have grossed more than $450 million worldwide, and a spin-off TV series ran for two seasons on the USA Network. The fifth--and potentially final--film, titled The Forever Purge, is scheduled for release later this year.

The series kicked off in 2013 with The Purge. The movie was set in the near future, where American cities have become overrun with crime. In an attempt to reduce the crime rate, the nation's totalitarian government--the New Founding Fathers of America--introduce the Purge. This is an annual 24-hour event where all crime is legalised, leading to violent gangs roaming the streets while normal, peaceful citizens shelter in their homes. The film itself was a gripping home invasion movie that mixed social commentary with scary thrills.

The success of the film led to two sequels that expanded the scope of the concept. The Purge Anarchy (2014) was an exciting urban action movie set on the streets of LA, while The Purge: Election Year (2016) plunged further into the franchise's complex politics. The last movie to date was 2018's prequel The First Purge, which, as the title suggests, focused on the creation of the annual night of mayhem.

The Forever Purge was announced in 2019, and it completed production in early 2020 ahead of a release that summer. But of course, the COVID-19 pandemic led the movie to be delayed, and it will finally arrive--hopefully--later in 2021. So here's everything we know so far about The Forever Purge.

When will it be released?

The Forever Purge is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2021. It was delayed from its initial July 2020 release date.

Who's in the cast?

As with most of the other movies in the series, The Forever Purge will feature a new cast. Mexican star Ana de la Reguera takes the lead role--this will be the first of two high profile horror films she appears in this year, with Zack Snyder's zombie movie Army of the Dead arriving later in 2021. In The Forever Purge, de la Reguera is joined by Josh Lucas (Ford vs Ferrari), Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico), Will Patton (Halloween 2018), Leven Rambin (The Hunger Games), and Cassidy Freeman (NCIS: New Orleans).

Who's the director?

The Forever Purge is directed by Everardo Gout. This will be Gout's debut movie, but he has previously directed episodes of several high-profile TV shows, including Snowpiercer, Luke Cage, The Terror, and Banshee.

Who's the writer?

The Forever Purge is written by James DeMonaco, who created the Purge series. DeMonaco has written every movie so far, as well as directing the first three films. He also produced the spin-off TV show and wrote the first episode.

Is there a trailer?

We're yet to see a trailer or any footage from The Forever Purge. However, the first image was revealed by Total Film in January--it's a very Purge-like image of a bat-wielding masked man running with a variety of mayhem happening behind him.

What's the story?

Although a trailer has not been released, we do know some story details. Since the last film, The First Purge, was a prequel, The Forever Purge will pick up the story after Election Year. This movie shifts the focus from the urban setting of previous entries to rural Texas. It focuses on the characters of Adela and Juan (de la Reguera and Huerta), who have fled a Mexican cartel and are now living on a Texan ranch. Unfortunately a group of bad guys want to keep the Purge going beyond the set 24-hour period and target the unlucky couple. Gout told Total Film that the movie will be "an amazing story of Latinos and Americans coming together to overcome despair and evil."

Being set after Election Year, it certainly calls into question the ending of that film. In Election Year, Senator Charlie Roan was elected president of the United States thanks, in large part, to her plan to end the Purge. Hopefully, the movie will address why the annual night of mayhem is still happening.

Is this the last Purge?

DeMonaco previously stated that this will be the final Purge movie. "I think it's a great way to end it all," he told Entertainment Weekly. "We want to end it all, I think, in this one, and I'm very excited. When I came up with the idea and pitched it to everybody, they seemed psyched, and I think it will be a really cool ending, how we take this one home."

Of course, this is the horror genre, where successful franchises very rarely end. In October last year, producer Jason Blum admitted to RadioTimes.com that he hoped more films will follow. "I would never say its end is set in stone," he said. "Hopefully, I’ll talk James into making a couple more."