Among the myriad of reasons for the palpable excitement surrounding 28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, was the anticipation around Cillian Murphy's return to the franchise. While eagle-eyed fans shared snapshots of the film's trailer, claiming to have spotted the actor in the film, producer Andrew Macdonald clarified that the Oppenheimer actor won't be starring in the upcoming sequel although he serves as an executive producer.
In an interview with Empire, Macdonald said, "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 (Murphy's character name) somewhere along the line."
"He's involved at the moment as an executive producer...I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future trilogy," he further added, leaving doors open for his return in the upcoming films.
Cillian Murphy starred in the original 28 Days Later (2002) which centered on a bicycle courier (played by Cillian Murphy) who wakes up from a coma to discover the world had been overrun with zombies following the outbreak of a virus. The film was a massive box office success and led to a standalone 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, on which Boyle and Garland served solely as executive producers.
28 Years Later, directed by Boyle and written by Alex Garland, will be a follow-up to 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Boyle and Garland are reuniting for 28 years later, after 17 years.
The ensemble cast of the film stars Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, along with Jack O'Connell and Erin Kellyman.
Produced by Boyle and Garland, along with the original film's producers Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice, 28 Years Later is slated to release in theatres on June 20, 2025.
The film's trailer, released earlier in December 2024, showed that the virus that escaped the confines of a laboratory 30 years ago is still pervasive and has dangerously mutated and has attacked those who are believed to be survivors of the contagion. “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,” the 28 Years Later official synopsis reads. “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.”
The second installment, directed by Candyman director Nia DiCosta with a screenplay by Alex Garland, was shot back-to-back with the first film. The film titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will be released on January 16, 2026.
