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Director/writer James DeMonaco returns to direct 'The Purge 3' that will feature the same protagonist Sergeant Leo Barnes to be played by Frank Grillo. The sequel will have more political elements and feature bigger villains.

According to We Got This Covered, DeMonaco could never have pushed through with the third installation of the horror-thriller franchise without his leading man Frank Grillo. During an interview at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, the 50-year old actor admitted his surprise when the filmmaker approached him to star in another film saying that he thought his character was a one-time thing. He said that Universal may have decided to work with him again after good audience reception for his Sergeant on the second film 'The Purge: Anarchy'.

It is unusual for the franchise to repeat the same characters for each new movie in the series, according to Cinema Blend. It was reported that the first two films employed completely different protagonists - the first led by Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey while the second featuring Grillo, Zoe Soul, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez. 'The Purge' and 'The Purge: Anarchy' also had contrasting stories with the first film being more like a home invasion and the second more of a rising rebellion against a malicious system.

According to Collider, Grillo hinted at the possible turn of events for 'The Purge 3' saying that the upcoming film will give audiences more insight on Sergeant. He said, "You get to see where he came from, his origin, how this has affected him, and what he does to make some changes about it. He was involved in law enforcement at a high level, and he gets involved with somebody else who's also politically charged, and they go after the system."

It is unclear whether the rest of the cast on the second film will be joining him. The report added that since 'Anarchy' ended with a cliffhanger, it may be possible to see the return of some characters and the addition of bigger villains. The resistance forces introduced in the last film may play significant roles for the next politically-charged storyline.

'The Purge 3' is an upcoming film in the successful horror-thriller series written and directed by James DeMonaco. It is scheduled to be released on July 1, 2016. Its predecessor proved to be an obvious change from the first release and earned a staggering $110 million over a $9 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.