‘Burning Sands’ Director Gerard McMurray to Helm ‘The Purge 4,’ Where Paddles Are the Least of Our Worries

Now that we’ve seen “Anarchy” and “Election Year,” the “Purge” franchise is ready to change things up. Gerard McMurray, who co-wrote and directed this year’s Sundance offering “Burning Sands,” is set to direct the untitled fourth installment in the dystopian series created by James DeMonaco, who helmed the franchise’ first three chapters.

“I have not seen a film as confidently directed in a long time as ‘Burning Sands’ and I’m excited to see Gerard’s own expression of ‘The Purge’ world,” DeMonaco said in a statement. That world is also making its way to television courtesy of Blumhouse and Universal Cable Productions.

The move is a big one for McMurray, whose fraternity-hazing drama was a considerably more small-scale production than the two most recent “Purge” movies; prior to making his feature directorial debut with “Burning Sands,” which Netflix released earlier this year, he served as associate producer on another Sundance hit: Ryan Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station.” No plot details have been announced for “The Purge 4,” but a July 4, 2018 release date has been set.

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