28 Years Later: Boyle Will Direct The 3rd Film, No Murphy For Now

Posted in: Movies, Sony | Tagged: 28 years laters

28 Years Later: Boyle Will Direct The 3rd Film, No Murphy For Now

Cillian Murphy isn't in 28 Years Later; his character, Jim, could appear in later films. Danny Boyle will direct the third film in the trilogy.

Published Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:58:07 -0600
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

• Danny Boyle returns to direct the 3rd film in the new trilogy.
• Cillian Murphy won't reprise his role as Jim in 28 Years Later, but involvement in future films is possible.
• 28 Years Later and its sequel were filmed back-to-back, with Nia DaCosta directing the second movie.
• Producer Andrew Macdonald emphasizes the narrative ambition and scope of the ambitious new trilogy.

When it was announced at the beginning of 2024, people were pretty surprised because this seemed like a sequel that wouldn't ever escape development hell. We were even more surprised when it was revealed we weren't just getting a third film; we were getting a new trilogy of films. In a move that is becoming increasingly common, the next movie in this universe, 28 Years Later, and its sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which will be directed by Nia DaCosta, were shot back to back.

With that kind of gusto, one would think they had all three movies planned, but that isn't entirely the case. Empire has confirmed that Danny Boyle will direct the third film, and what that third movie looks like will reflect the audience's responses to the first movie. Alex Garland describes the story as "very narratively ambitious. Danny and I understood that. We tried to condense it, but its natural form felt like a trilogy."

Empire specifically cites this kind of story-driven storytelling and the fact that they aren't immediately going for the third movie as indicators that this isn't a cash grab for anyone involved. Producer Andrew Macdonald praised the scope of the project. "You just don't get to do a story on this scale in this country," he said. To do something in Britain that feels like it has [size], it's great."

Then there is Cillian Murphy. When the first teaser dropped, everyone thought they had spotted Murphy's Jim as one of the infected we see in the footage. While the resemblance might be close (it's the cheekbones), there is no way that Sony would give that reveal away in a trailer. Or, they really shouldn't unless they left all of their brain cells in 2024 like Universal and Warner Bros. both did. While speaking to Empire about Murphy's involvement with the project, Macdonald confirmed that we won't see Jim on screen in 28 Years Later, at least, not yet.

"[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," Macdonald explained. "He's involved at the moment as an executive producer and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy."

The second movie, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, has already been shot and has a release date, so unless they add something in reshoots or they are hiding some big reveal in the first film, we won't see Murphy until that third film in the trilogy. We'll see, but if nothing else, you should know that a zombie with impressive cheekbones isn't Cillian Murphy.

28 Years Later: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award®-nominated writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later, a terrifying new story set in the world created by 28 Days Later. 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.

28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes. It will be released on June 20, 2025.

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