The Purge may have been one of the biggest surprise horror hits of 2013, so it makes sense that Universal Pictures and the film’s producer, Jason Blum, best known for cranking out four “Paranormal Activity” movies in four years, would jump right into its sequel, currently called The Purge 2.
Original writer-director James DeMonaco is returning for the sequel and Frank Grillo has already been announced as its star, but today, four more actors have been announced via The Hollywood Reporter as Michael K. Williams (“The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire”), Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”), Carmen Ejogo (Sparkle) and Kiele Sanchez join the cast.
Williams is probably best known among the new cast members for his roles on two hit HBO dramas, creating memorable characters like Omar Little and Chalky White, plus he appears in Steve McQueen’s highly-acclaimed 12 Years a Slave and will appear in next year’s RoboCop reboot.
Besides his role on “Friday Night Lights,” Gilford also recently appeared in the movie The Last Stand starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Ejogo appeared in last year’s Sparkle and Alex Cross. Sanchez’s TV appearances include “The Glades” and “Lost.”
The sequel will take place in the same world as the first movie where once a year, there is a 12-hour period where all crimes are allowed, basically to allow the population to “get it out of their system.”
Universal Pictures have already set the date for the sequel as Friday, June 20, 2014 with DeMonaco and Blum once again joined by producers Sebastien Lemercier and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes.
Made for a budget of $3 million, the original movie starring Ethan Hawke went on to gross $89.3 million worldwide.
(Photo source: Alberto Reyes/WENN.com)
