Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for 28 Years Later, marking the return of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic franchise.
This long-awaited sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later arrives 22 years after the original and promises to expand the chilling universe of the Rage Virus. The 28 Years Later trailer follows a cryptic SOS teaser and a striking new poster featuring the tagline, “Time didn’t heal anything.”
Released in 2002, 28 Days Later introduced audiences to a world ravaged by a highly contagious Rage Virus that turns people into violent, rabid beings. Starring Cillian Murphy as Jim, a bike courier who awakens from a coma to find society in ruins, the film redefined the zombie subgenre. While Boyle himself resisted calling it a zombie movie, the film’s impact was undeniable, breathing new life into apocalyptic storytelling. Murphy not only reprises his role in 28 Years Later but also serves as an executive producer.
Ralph Fiennes, one of the sequel’s stars, recently shared insights about the new film with IndieWire. “Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities,” he explained.
“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.” Fiennes portrays the enigmatic doctor, described as a force for good despite initial suspicions.
The trailer, also featuring the voiceover of a haunting poem Boots by author and poet Rudyard Kipling, gives a glimpse of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s debut in the franchise, fighting off hordes of the infected. The film, also starring Jodie Comer and executive producer Murphy (as possibly one of the infected), has already completed production on its first two instalments of a planned trilogy, according to Fiennes.
Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, 28 Years Later is set to premiere in theaters on 20 June 2025. Fans of the franchise can look forward to a gripping continuation of the series’ harrowing vision of a world unhinged by chaos and survival.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Sylus from Love and Deepspace.
Kevin Low
