With over $300 million at the box office over three films, the Purge series is already one of the most successful horror franchises of all time. Now, it looks like it could be expanding its baseball-wielding reach to television.
In a new interview with CinemaBlend, writer/director James DeMonaco says that he's already been approached about adapting the film series for the small screen, as “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 continued that the series would ideally unfold over 10 hours/episodes, a runtime that would allow him to delve into the “nuance and complexity that would drive someone to commit a terrible act on this night. Whether it's revenge or out of passion…what might be interesting in a TV show is with a flashback narrative, if you start on Purge Night but you go back to show how people have gotten to where they are.”
As for the series' progress, DeMonaco noted that he and the other parties involved are “talking about deals right now, money is being spoken about. Things like that. So I think it's being taken very seriously from the higher-ups who obviously dictate everything.”
Not surprised by this at all, for the record. The idea behind the Purge — a 12-hour period in which all crime, including murder, is legalized — is a natural fit for television, and shedding more light on the participants' respective motivations is a potentially intriguing concept.
[via Bloody Disgusting]