The post-apocalyptic zombie hype is going strong, and fans have got modern horror classic 28 Days Later to thank for it. Just over two decades after reinvigorating the genre, the feature is returning with a sequel titled 28 Years Later, which hopes to launch a new trilogy of films.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the follow-up will reunite Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the director and writer of the 2002 film, with no release date announced. It’s expected to hit studios, streamers, and other potential buyers later this week.
The project sees the duo taking on a bigger role than their previous stint as executive producers on the 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later. Boyle is set to helm 28 Years Later, while Garland will pen the screenplay for all three movies in the planned trilogy.
Released in 2002, 28 Days Later stars Cillian Murphy — the now-celebrated lead of Oppenheimer — as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. While navigating the landscape, he meets chemist and battle-hardened survivor Selena (Naomie Harris), and Major Henry West, a maniacal Army major played by Christopher Eccleston.
The genre game-changer proved to be a surprise hit, and would later spawn a wave of zombie movies and shows that portrayed the living dead as a dangerous, ferocious, and even intelligent force to be reckoned with, instead of the usual slow-moving flesh eaters. Following in its footsteps, films like World War Z, Zombieland, The Walking Dead, Army of the Dead, and more embraced this revitalised model.
Boyle and Garland have toyed around with a return to 28 Days Later for a while now, with Murphy publicly expressing interest in the idea. The actor, currently unattached to the sequel, shared in 2022 that the three of them often discussed working on a follow-up to the film.
“Every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it,” Murphy said to NME. “I showed it to my kids recently — some Halloween about four or five years ago — and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.” In the same feature, Boyle praised Garland’s pitch for a sequel, saying ” It feels like a very good time actually. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered ‘Bang, this script!’ which is again set in England, very much about England.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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