James DeMonaco

Last updated

James DeMonaco
Born (1969-10-12) October 12, 1969 (age 55)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1996–present

James DeMonaco (born October 12, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for creating the Purge franchise, writing all five films in the series and directing the first three, The Purge (2013), [1] Anarchy (2014), and Election Year (2016). [2]

Contents

DeMonaco's first produced screenplay was the Robin Williams comedy Jack (1996), directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Personal life

DeMonaco grew up in Staten Island, New York. He spent eight years in Paris, France, that led him to "put a microscope" on his life after seeing the difference in the relationship toward guns and violence in Paris compared to New York. DeMonaco is of Italian descent. [3] [4]

He and his wife, a doctor, were almost killed by a drunk driver in Brooklyn. In anger, his wife said "I wish we could all have one free one [a murder] a year", something which helped inspire the Purge series. [5] [6]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducer
1996 Jack NoYesNo
1998 The Negotiator NoYesNo
2005 Assault on Precinct 13 NoYesNo
2006 Skinwalkers NoYesNo
2009 Staten Island YesYesNo
2013 The Purge YesYesNo
2014 The Purge: Anarchy YesYesNo
2016 The Purge: Election Year YesYesNo
2018 The First Purge NoYesExecutive
2021 The Forever Purge NoYesYes
This Is the Night YesYesNo
TBA The Home [7] YesYesNo

Television

YearTitleWriterCreatorProducerNotes
1999 Ryan Caulfield: Year One NoYesExecutive
2005 HBO First Look NoNoNoHimself
2007 The Kill Point YesYesYesWrote 2 episodes
2009 Crash YesNoYesWrote 3 episodes
2018-19 The Purge YesYesYesWrote 3 episodes

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References

  1. Dargis, Manohla (June 6, 2013). "'The Purge,' Starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey". The New York Times.
  2. "Why The Purge 3 Doesn't Need Frank Grillo - Even Though He's Really, Really Awesome - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. January 17, 2015.
  3. "Exclusive Interview: 'The Purge' Trilogy Director James DeMonaco Talks About the Movies' Shocking Origin".
  4. "'The Purge' creator has idea for another movie which will turn franchise 'upside down'". Entertainment Weekly .
  5. DeSalvo, Robert B. (October 3, 2016). "Exclusive Interview: 'The Purge' Trilogy Director James DeMonaco Talks About the Movies' Shocking Origin". Fandango. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  6. "James DeMonaco interview: The Purge: Anarchy, genre filmmaking and more". Den of Geek. July 15, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  7. "Pete Davidson To Star In James DeMonaco's Horror Thriller 'The Home' For Miramax". Deadline Hollywood. January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.