It's finally happening – the official sequel to 28 Days Later is happening!
In 2002, a film came out that truly shook the world, 28 Days Later. Classified as a zombie horror film and a post-apocalyptic drama, it follows a bicycle courier who suffers a coma. Then, he wakes up to one of his life's most surprising and horrifying events – the world has turned chaotic as a virus was unleashed, turning humans into aggression-based monsters.
Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, 28 Days Later is considered one of the best of the early 2000s, and now a new sequel is happening, and it’s coming out as part of the 2025 movie schedule. This is what we know.
What Is The 28 Years Later Release Date?
28 Years Later is set to release on June 20, 2025, as confirmed by Sony.
28 Years Later has been discussed for a long time. The director and writer, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, have spoken about a sequel for many years, and back in July 2023, they talked to Inverse about an idea that manifested a few years ago and that they were taking it "quite seriously:"
So we're talking about it quite seriously, quite diligently. If he doesn't want to direct it himself I'll be well up for it, if we can execute a similarly good idea.
The person Boyle was referring to was his writing partner, Alex Garland, and now, since the film is confirmed, Boyle will be returning to direct, and Garland is writing it.
Check Out The Trailer For 28 Years Later
After all this time, we finally got a trailer for this movie. Featuring an absolutely chilling soundtrack in the back, we get our first look at the zombies of 28 Years Later, and the horrible journey our main characters are about to set out on.
The 28 Years Later Cast
If you were wondering who has joined the cast of 28 Years Later, we have you covered. We also have a few cast names thanks to an interview that Danny Boyle did with Empire in January 2025. Here is who you can expect to see:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie
The first who will star in 28 Years Later is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who will play Jamie. The actor is known for many roles. While he gained much fame for his portrayal of Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Taylor-Johnson has appeared in a variety of films like Savages, Anna Karenina, Godzilla, Nocturnal Animals, Bullet Train, Tenet, and the 2024 action movie The Fall Guy, as well as Nosferatu.
Jodie Comer as Isla
Jodie Comer is also set to appear in 28 Years Later, and she will play Isla. Comer gained worldwide significance when she co-starred in Killing Eve, earning her several accolades and nominations, but Comer has also appeared in shows like My Mad Fat Diary, Doctor Foster, and more. She’s also held roles in Free Guy and The Last Duel, among other films.
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes will star in 28 Years Later. I’m sure many people of my age know Fiennes as the infamous villain, Voldemort, from the Harry Potter films. Fiennes is a very talented actor who has been around for several decades and appeared in many great films, such as The Reader, The Hurt Locker, Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Menu, In Bruges, The Duchess, Conclave and many more.
Jack O’Connell
Confirmed by Sony, Jack O’Connell will also star in 28 Years Later. The actor took on the role of playing Amy Winehouse’s husband in Back to Black, but has also appeared in films such as Starred Up, Money Monsters, Trial by Fire and more.
Alfie Williams as Spike
Sony also confirmed that young star, Alfie Williams, will have a role in 28 Years Later, and play Spike. The young actor has appeared in His Dark Materials and A New Breed of Criminal.
Erin Kellyman
In June 2024, Deadline confirmed that Erin Kellyman had joined the cast of 28 Years Later. The actress has appeared in shows such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Willow, among many other roles.
Talk about a cast – and I’m sure this isn’t even the end of announcements for it.
Cillian Murphy Won’t Be Back As Jim – At Least Not This Time Around
Deadline originally reported in May 2024 that Cillian Murphy would return as Jim in 28 Years Later, apparently in a “surprising way.”
But now, in an interview with producer Andrew Macdonald with Empire in January 2025, he’s been confirmed that Murphy won’t be back in 28 Years Later – but could return in one of the two sequels coming out after this:
He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.
Cillian Murphy gained a lot of fame for his starring role in 28 Days Later, and he's only continued to grow in popularity over the decades since. From his starring role in the hit show Peaky Blinders (which is one of the best shows to binge on Netflix), to his critically acclaimed performance as lead of the Oppenheimer cast, the Academy Award-winning actor is getting more popular each year.
In May 2024, it was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter that Cillian Murphy would be returning to executive produce the film, and so far, that’s all he will be doing. But who knows what the future holds for Jim?
What Is 28 Years Later Going To Be About?
With this long-awaited sequel, one can only wonder what 28 Years Later will follow. Here is what we know so far:
28 Years Later Would Be A Sequel To 28 Days Later, Not 28 Weeks Later
While we might be all excited for 28 Years Later, let's not forget that there already was a sequel at one point – 28 Weeks Later. But this new movie isn't a sequel to that 2007 film; rather, it'll be a new story, according to The Hollywood Reporter article from earlier, regarding Murphy acting as a producer.
For 28 Weeks Later, Boyle and Garland only acted as executive producers, but this time, they will return to the main job of writing and directing.
Sony’s official synopsis says the movie takes place nearly three decades after the rage virus escaped that laboratory. Some have found ways to exist amongst the infected, including those who live on an island and can only access mainland U.K. through a causeway. In that interview that Boyle did with Empire, he said that it’s a very “closed” community:
It’s a closed and necessarily very tight community. There are very strict defence laws, obviously, to survive that long in what is effectively an ongoing hostile environment. They’ve created a successful community, as they see it.
However, soon our main characters must leave for a mission. While out in the real world, they discover horrors unlike any other, and secrets that will change their lives. Fun fact – the movie was shot on an iPhone, according to Collider, so this will certainly be an interesting apocalypse feature to watch.
28 Years Later Is Meant To Start A New Trilogy Of Films
Something else we learned from The Hollywood Reporter article is that 28 Years Later isn't going to be a standalone sequel – it is meant to begin another trilogy of films within the same universe as 28 Days Later.
There have been plenty of trilogies in Hollywood that have done immensely well, such as The Hangover films or The Lord of the Rings movies, but I wonder how many more clever titles there could be after 28 Years Later. Are we going to dive into decades or centuries now? 28 Centuries Later? How long can zombies live?
Jokes aside, the hope is to launch a new trilogy of films, further expanding the world and possibly making it one of the best zombie franchises ever.
Alex Garland, the screenwriter for the film, even opened up about turning this into a new trilogy in that January 2025 interview from Empire, saying that they attempted to condense it but it was just the natural way the story of the survivors developed as they wrote it:
This is very narratively ambitious. Danny and I understood that. We tried to condense it, but its natural form felt like a trilogy.
The trilogy will continue in another film called 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and a third movie that will be helmed by Boyle and won’t begin production until there are reactions from the first.
Danny Boyle Directed The Film
As mentioned before, Danny Boyle returned to direct 28 Years Later. He directed the first film, and has since only continued to spread his wings in Hollywood and direct several significant movies.
Some of his most-known films since then include Steve Jobs, 127 Hours, Yesterday, and even the Best Picture-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Soon, we'll see him back in the world of zombies.
We know that Danny Boyle, however, will not be directing the second film in the new trilogy. That will be Nia DaCosta, according to Deadline in April 2024. The director has done Candyman, Little Woods, and The Marvels.
Alex Garland Is Returning To Write All Three Films
Alex Garland isn't just signed on to work on 28 Years Later – he's set to write that film, as well as the rest of the trilogy that they are hopeful will follow the release of this sequel, which is freaking awesome if I don't say so myself.
Garland has also written some impressive movies since 28 Days Later, including Sunshine, Ex Machina, and more. He also wrote the series Devs (one of Nick Offerman's best roles) and the horror movie Men, as well as Civil War.
The 28 Years Later Rating
There’s no set rating yet for 28 Years Later, but I think we can expect that it’ll be rated R. The first film was rated R, while the second movie was also an R-rating – so it would be pretty shocking for this new film not to follow in its footsteps.
What are you looking forward to the most when it comes to 28 Years Later? I think it's time for a rewatch – Is anyone up for a zombie movie night?
