- “28 Years Later,” the sequel to “28 Days Later,” is out in June.
- The story follows a young boy trying to save his mother.
- Producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed that Cillian Murphy is not in the movie — but might be in the sequel.
Cillian Murphy won’t be in “28 Years Later” — but he might appear in its sequel.
The film sees director Danny Boyle return for the long-awaited horror sequel two decades after “28 Days Later.”
In the original film, Murphy played Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma to find that the UK has been hit by the “Rage” virus, which turns people into fast zombie-like creatures.
The film performed fairly well at the time, earning $84 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
Boyle’s unique vision of a post-apocalyptic Britain led to a resurgence of zombie movies in the 2000s. Many took inspiration from Boyle’s fast zombies, such as in the “Dawn of the Dead” remake, and “Zombieland.”
While Boyle produced the 2007 sequel, “28 Weeks Later,” the Juan Carlos Fresnadillo-directed film focused more on gory action, than the suspense-driven horror of the original.
But judging by the brutal first trailer, it looks like “28 Years Later” will be a mix of both. Here’s what we know about the sequel.
The “28 Years Later” trailer depicts a brutal vision of post-apocalyptic Britain
Last December, Sony released the first trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, showing what post-apocalyptic Britain looks like and who has survived the Rage virus.
It shows Jamie and Spike, a father-and-son duo played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and 13-year-old Alfie Williams, respectively. Empire reported the two survivors live on Lindisfarne, a heavily defended island community in Northumberland, which has become a safe haven from the virus.
When they venture out onto the mainland, they’re chased by the infected. There are also glimpses of other cast members in the trailer, including Jodie Comer as Isla, Spike’s mother, and Ralph Fiennes as the mysterious Dr. Kelson.
The footage is narrated using a creepy recording of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Boots,” which the military also uses to train elite soldiers.
One scene shows totem poles made out of bones and skulls, which could be where “28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple,” the sequel which doesn’t have a release date yet, gets its title.
Sony also shared the film’s synopsis, which reads: “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway.
“When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”
Cillian Murphy is not in ’28 Years Later,’ despite rumors
It was rumored that Murphy would reprise his role in the film, and the actor appeared to hint at his involvement last February.
He told Variety: “I’ve always said I would love to be involved because that movie changed everything for me and I have great affection for it and for those guys Alex, and Danny.”
Murphy added: “So I’m really thrilled that we’ll get the band back together to make this one.”
And last May, Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman told Deadline that Murphy would reprise his role as Jim in the film.
However, the producer Andrew Macdonald told Empire on Thursday that Murphy is not in “28 Years Later,” but he might appear in a sequel.
He said: “[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.”
Fans on social media thought they’d spotted Murphy in set photos. But it’s possible that whatever was being filmed was intended for the sequel, “The Bone Temple,” because the two films were shot back-to-back.
Deadline reported that the film stars Jack O’Connell, and Erin Kellyman.
Last October, Fiennes told IndieWire that the story revolves around a young boy trying to save his mother in the north of England.
He said: “Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain.
“But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.”
Ralph Fiennes said filming on the ’28 Years Later’ sequel, ‘The Bone Temple,’ has also finished.
The long-awaited sequel will arrive in theaters on June 20, 2025, and is the start of a new trilogy. Per Deadline, “Candyman” director Nia DaCosta was in talks to direct the follow-up in early 2024.
The title for the second movie, “The Bone Temple,” was revealed by the United States Copyright Office.
According to Fiennes, the follow-up has already been shot. He said: “It’s three films, of which two have been shot.”
In January, Boyle told Empire that Fiennes’ character gets more of the spotlight in the sequel.
“He strides forward into the second film in an enormous way, where the question of what he’s after and what he wants to do gets fully resolved,” Boyle said.
Danny Boyle used farm animals and an iPhone to film ’28 Years Later.’
Wired reported last September, citing unnamed sources, that Boyle shot the new sequel using an iPhone 15 Pro Max modified with additional lenses.
Wired also reported that “some scenes in ’28 Years Later’ were shot with action cams strapped to farm animals,” although the outlet didn’t reveal why.
Sony didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
It seems likely that this unusual filming method will help capture a specific, energetic visual style during a chase scene involving the infected. But it’s not clear whether the animals are specifically in the film, or if they’re just an unorthodox filming tool.
