Lili Simmons (Ray Donovan), Hannah Anderson (New Mutants) and Lee Tergesen (Oz) have booked series regular roles in The Purge for USA Network and Syfy.
The project comes from franchise creator James DeMonaco, indie studio Blumhouse Television and Universal Cable Productions. The franchise, about the one day each year when murder and mayhem is legalized, hatched its highest-grossing effort so far with the recent installment, 2016’s The Purge: Election Year. DeMonaco oversees the series, which will be an entirely new chapter in America’s 12 hours of annual lawlessness and is slated to launch in conjunction with the next installment in the movie franchise, The First Purge.
Simmons will play Lila, a young, rich, and rebellious, woman who refuses to fit in with the pro-Purge socialite crowd. Her confidence and charm mask a vulnerability that will be exposed as she attempts to deal with unfinished business before the sun rises.
Anderson will portray Jenna, an anti-Purge and devoted to charitable causes, who is accustomed to locking down on Purge Night. Her choice to venture out for the first time leads to an encounter with violence that forces her to deal with deep truths about herself and her marriage.
Tergesen is Joe, an armored, masked, and seemingly ordinary man who drives through town, intervening acts of Purge violence while listening to the taped lectures of a motivational life coach.
The ensemble cast includes Gabriel Chavarria, Jessica Garza, Amanda Warren, Colin Woodell.
The films’ Platinum Dunes and DeMonaco’s longtime producing partner Sebastien K. Lemercier will executive produce. Anthony Hemingway directs and Thomas Kelly serves as executive producer/showrunner.
Simmons can currently be seen as Natalie James on Showtime’s Ray Donovan and in independent film Bad Match. Her past TV credits include HBO’s Westworld and True Detective, Cinemax’s Banshee and CBS’ Hawaii Five O.
Anderson recently wrapped the latest X-Men feature New Mutants for director Simon Kinberg. She can also be seen in Legacy, the re-boot of the Saw franchise and What Keeps You Alive, which recently screened at SXSW. Past credits include Canadian series Shoot the Messenger, History Channel miniseries Gangland Undercover and The CWs Reign.
Tergesen starred opposite Christopher Meloni and JK Simmons in HBO’s Oz. He recurred in Season 2 of The Americans and will be seen in the upcoming NBC Universal/International series Gone. He’ll next be seen in feature in The Yellow Birds, starring Jennifer Aniston.
Simmons is repped by United Talent, Kate Linden Management, and attorney Stuart Rosenthal. Anderson is repped by Primary Wave Entertainment, Gersh and Gary Goddard Agency in Canada. Tergesen is repped by Industry Entertainment and Gersh.
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