Jason Blum Interview: The Forever Purge | Screen Rant

After 4 other films and a television show under its belt, The Forever Purge seems like an apt time for the supposedly final film in the franchise. A direct sequel to 2016’s The Purge: Election Year, the story centers on a Mexican couple who find themselves hunted by a group of people wishing to carry on their own private Purge – all year long.

Producer Jason Blum spoke to Screen Rant about the nearly decade-long journey of the franchise, and the vision of screenwriter James DeMonaco.

I saw the storming on Capitol Hill, I immediately thought of The Purge. Immigration was at the forefront of a deep rift here in America. Can you talk to me about James DeMonaco's script, and how one day not being enough is a natural evolution of the story?

Jason Blum: My favorite thing about this Purge, like you said, is that this purge has no rules. It's the first one with zero rules; there's no end. I think if you crack the door a little bit to anarchy, you can never shut the door again. And in fact, anarchy will bust the door off the hinges. And I feel like that's what happens in this movie. That's what we show in this movie.

It's my favorite Purge for that reason, and James does have an ability to predict the future. He's done that almost every single movie, and this movie is no exception.

James is almost this horror soothsayer in a way, seeing what the future is before it even happens. For fans of The Purge franchise, what can they expect from this new and possibly last installment of the franchise?

Jason Blum: They can expect to be more scared, more horrified, and more shocked than ever before - than any of the other Purge movies. I think it's our best one. I think it's the most visceral one; the most intense one. So, they can expect a wild ride, especially if they see it in a movie theater.

Can you talk to me about the collaboration process with James DeMonaco, mainly because he's been such a collaborator on all your Purge projects? Did you ever think that his "What if one day" pitch would have ended up here? 

Jason Blum: Boy, never. The fact we got five movies and an hour and 10 episodes of television out of it is pretty amazing. I don't think James or Sébastien or I, none of us ever expected it would go this far.

But the concept is an incredible concept. They are actually an infinite number of stories you could tell based in a society where this takes place. After we did two or three, I wasn't surprised. But, boy, I never thought we'd get there.

This film is left a little open-ended, hinting that we could revisit this world. Is this really the end of the franchise, or do you think there's a creative way to possibly bring this back at some point?

Jason Blum: Oh, well, there's definitely a way to bring it back. I hope we bring it back. James is saying this is the last one, but I hopefully I'm going to talk about it. I'm going to definitely try. I'm giving it a rest until the movie comes out, but after the movie comes out, I'm gonna go back at him.

It seems like Everardo Gout really connected with this project. What was the thing that most excited you about his approach to this film?

Jason Blum: We've worked with him through our television company and had a great experience working with him. And I didn't mandate that we have a Mexican director for this, but I thought it would certainly be a lot better if we did. I thought it would be more authentic and would feel more real. So, I was really glad when we offered to the movie, and I was really glad when he said yes.

And I think that he provided a lot of great things. One great shot in the middle of the movie, this long shot, that was all his idea. He weighed heavily on casting decisions that we made; I thought he made great decisions on the casting. But most importantly, he made the movie - I think and hope - feel authentic, which was very important to me.

Next: Watch The Forever Purge Trailer

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July 02, 2021 at 12:19AM