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Dirk Gently’s Fiona Dourif To Play Cult Leader in The Purge TV Show
The Purge TV series has added another name to its cast: Fiona Dourif, currently best known for her role as Bart in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. The show will mark an expansion of hugely successful horror movie studio Blumhouse Productions into TV, under the mantle of Blumhouse Television and in collaboration with Universal Cable Productions. Filming was schedules to begin in New Orleans, starting in April.
Set in a dystopian version of the USA where one night of the year citizens are free to commit atrocities – including murder and torture – without any fear of legal repercussions, The Purge movies have been steady earners for Blumhouse. The fourth movie in the series, titled The First Purge, is set for release later this summer.
Deadline reports that Dourif will play “the cool and offbeat, Good Leader Tavis, the much-adored, charismatic cult leader, dispensing blessings to her fawning followers.” We heard about this cult previously when Jessica Garza was cast as Penelope, a follower of the cult who is due to give herself up as a sacrifice to the leader on Purge Night. The cult was then described as “Purge-worshipping,” so it’s safe to assume that Good Leader Tavis will be an antagonist figure – heading up one of the groups of people who take great pleasure in the sins of the Purge. Dourif, whose “holistic assassin” Bart Curlish is a terrifying but entertaining figure in Dirk Gently, seems like a perfect fit for the role.
The Purge will also star Gabriel Chavarria as Miguel, Penelope’s older brother, who receives a worrying letter from his little sister that leads him to rush home on Purge Night. Miguel is described as a “US Marine with a hard edge and a noble mission.” The cast also includes Lili Simmons, Hannah Anderson, and Lee Tergesen. James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed the first three Purge movies, will serve as showrunner on the TV show, with Gerard McMurray taking over directing duties for The First Purge.
The premise of The Purge lends itself well to a 24-style TV series, which could portray the 12 hours of Purge Night (and the surrounding events) more or less in real time. DeMonaco has said that it will connect to the movies, and is set “right in the middle of all the Purge timelines… we’re probably on the seventh or eighth [Purge] in the TV show. It’s an established thing that people have gotten used to.”
