Purge 4 Gets Burning Sands Director, Is It Called The Island?

Blumhouse has built a tremendously successful production company on the backs of low-budget horror movies. One of their early successes wasThe Purge, a micro-budget horror/thriller with a tantalizingly original premise that made a boatload of money at the box office. That has resulted in a three moviePurge franchise, with more installments on the way.The Purge 4is set to arrive in theaters on July 06, 2025, and Blumhouse has found a director for the project, tapping up-and-comer Gerard McMurray for the gig.

According toVariety, Gerard McMurray will be stepping in onThe Purge 4for James DeMonaco, who served as the writer and director forThe Pruge,The Purge: AnarchyandThe Purge: Election Year. He is also currently developing aPurge TV series, so this franchise is very much his baby, but he is letting that go to let a new filmmaker helm a major project that will help put him on the map. Bringing some fresh blood on board, if you will, should helpThe Purgefeel a little more fresh if the studio plans to keep pumping these things out.

While no title has been announced for the movie, IMDB currently has it listed asThe Purge: The Island. No story has been revealed by an official source, but the site claims the movie is ‘a prequel that will focus on the events that lead up to the very first Purge event.’ We’ve heard that the TV show based on the horror franchise is covering this same ground, so it’s all a little bit up in the air.

Don’t worry if you don’t recognize Gerard McMurray by name. Most people wouldn’t. At least not yet. His directorial debutBurning Sandspremiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and generated quite a bit of buzz. So much so that Netflix decided to step in and scoop it up, which is a pretty good sign. He also was credited as an associate producer on Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimedFruitvale Station, so he has a couple of really solid credits to his name.Purge 4is just allowing him to take a step into a much bigger thing. Granted, the budget will still probably be relatively small by Hollywood standards, but still. It is going to be a high-profile release.

To date,The Purgemovies have made a combined $315 million which have cost a combined $23 million to make, which means they have been big time earners for the studio. So, they are likely to extend the franchise beyondThe Purge 4if they can.James DeMonacowill probably remain involved in some capacity, sinceThe Purgeis his baby, but it seems like his days directing the franchise are behind him.The Purge 4is going to have some pretty stiff competition upon release, though. Marvel Studios is planning on releasingAnt-Man and the Waspthat same weekend on July 6, which has been stacking up an impressive cast. But any Marvel movie is pretty much going to blow away the competitors.

James DeMonaco isn’t directingThe Purge 4, which isn’t the official title for the movie, but he is still writing the script. So it will be an authentic entry in the franchise, which centers on a government sanctioned annual holiday where Americans are allowed to commit any crime, including murder, for twelve hours. However,The Purgewas abolished at the end ofThe Purge: Election Year, so it is unclear how that is going to be addressed in the upcoming sequel. There is no word on casting or plot details forThe Purge 4yet, but we will be sure to keep you up to date as more details on the project emerge.