Cillian Murphy Set to Appear in 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE and He Might Save the Trilogy

Cillian Murphy is returning to the infected streets of the 28 Days Later trilogy, but not right away. According to director Danny Boyle, fans won’t catch a glimpse of the original franchise lead until the final moments of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the second film in a brand-new trilogy. Boyle told IGN:

“He is in the second one. I shouldn’t give away too much. I’ll get killed.”

The trilogy is being launched with 28 Years Later, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, and sets the stage for a large-scale reimagining of the infected nightmare first brought to life in 2002.

But despite being credited as an executive producer, Murphy doesn’t appear in the first installment at all. His return is being saved for a key moment at the end of the second film, a strategy that could determine whether the third film even gets made.

Boyle told Business Insider:

“All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed.”

Boyle and writer Alex Garland mapped out the entire trilogy together, with the second chapter, The Bone Temple, already completed under the direction of Nia DaCosta (Candyman).

The third and final chapter, however, hasn’t been greenlit. Its fate depends on box office returns and, possibly, Murphy’s star power. Boyle explained:

“Although each story [in the trilogy] completes itself, there’s a handover section to the next film as well. So it’s very ambitious. We haven’t got the money for the third one yet.

“It will depend how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully if we do okay, they’ll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody’s standing by for that, really. Including Cillian.”

Murphy’s post-Oppenheimer momentum and Oscar win makes him a valuable piece of the puzzle. In fact, Boyle admitted that just having Murphy’s name attached helped him push past studio resistance on one unusual technical decision by shooting the film with iPhones.

“You promise them Cillian Murphy, that’s quite a deflection of any technical concerns. They soon forget. We nakedly used that to get our own way. What better promise could you make?”

Back in 2002, Murphy’s role as Jim, a lone survivor waking up in a post-apocalyptic UK—helped catapult him into global recognition. Since then, fans have wanted to see his return to the franchise.

For now, fans will have to wait until January 16, 2026, when The Bone Temple hits theaters, to see Murphy step back into the chaos. But if all goes according to plan, that long-awaited cameo might be what’s needed to greenlight the trilogy's final chapter.