I’m not underselling things when I say that the 2025 movie schedule has my mind in its grasp. A lot of continuations of properties I love as a fan are happening throughout the landscape, one of which is undoubtedly 28 Years Later.
I’ve followed all of the recent updates like a hawk, and one recent piece of information has stood out to me as a bit of a problem. As if I wasn’t already asking how much 28 Weeks Later will be affected by Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland’s legacy-quel, some new plot details have come out that only have me asking more questions about the franchise canon.
What Danny Boyle Has Said About 28 Years Later’s Story
Legacy-quels can be quite fun when it comes to whether or not they take into account the story of the previous entry. So when I saw that Empire had some comments about where 28 Years Later’s story is going, I was intrigued. As far as Danny Boyle’s comments on how this new trilogy will treat the story that came before, here’s what he had to say:
It was a wholly different approach. It was about what that 28 years gives you.
That still sounds awesome, but it’s the further details the publication shared that gave me a slight pause. In addition to confirming that our new would-be protagonists are named Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Isla (Jodie Comer) and Spike (Alfie Williams), this family unit is apparently in a very different UK than one would have expected.
Not only is the whole country quarantined from the rest of the world, it appears that “the rest of the globe remains relatively unaffected” by the Rage Virus. Which leads to my first big 28 Franchise question, and perhaps the most glaring.
Is 28 Weeks Later About To Become Soft Canon?
Spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen 28 Weeks Later, but by the end of the 2007 sequel to 28 Days Later, the virus did indeed leave jolly old England. The final moment of director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s follow-up saw an Infected horde running through subway tunnels, and eventually in front of the Eiffel Tower, in a chilling finale.
But now, according to this 28 Years Later update, that may not be the case. Huge question #1 is, does this new twist mean that 28 Weeks Later is now considered a soft canon event? It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way, as there are plenty of circumstances that could have seen France contain and extinguish the Rage Virus within its borders.
As someone who was recently pleased with David Koepp’s Jurassic franchise story commandments, I’m hoping returning writer Alex Garland hasn’t ditched 28 Weeks Later totally - especially when the key to another 28 Years Later development would be better suited by keeping that story intact.
Could 28 Weeks Later’s Important Contribution To 28 Years Later’s Story Still Remain?
Throughout the language in the promotional campaign shared along with 28 Years Later’s trailer, one word, and its many forms, keeps popping up: mutation. That’s a huge uh-oh when trying to eradicate a virus, especially one as deadly as Rage. As we’ve seen in small glimpses throughout the first footage from this upcoming horror movie, there appears to be a new variant of the Rage Virus that may allow some Infected to become physically imposing.
Big question #2 arises out of this concern, as I wonder if 28 Weeks Later’s current state in the canon will allow its greatest gift to 28 Years Later to still exist. The Rage Virus could have very easily mutated after the events of Weeks, considering the big twist is that the gene for heterochromia somehow allows for a person to become an asymptomatic carrier.
The second wave outbreak from Weeks could still be the explanation for 28 Years Later’s fun new mutations. So even if we don’t find ourselves read into what may have happened with the survivors of this questionably canonical adventure, just knowing that it happened would be enough.
Can We Get An Official Ruling On Whether Selena’s 28 Days Later Sequel Comic Is Canon?
Speaking of survivors, it’s time to turn back the clock to a time when 28 Days Later had freshly wrapped, leaving the Manchester Three to be discovered by a pilot speaking Finnish. There is a huge gap between the 2002 franchise starter and the present day, which means we’re not totally sure what has happened to Hannah (Megan Burns), Selena (Naomie Harris) and Jim (Cillian Murphy).
At least, that statement would be true depending on the answer to the next canon question I’m asking: is Selena’s sequel story from Boom! Studios actually canon, or not? The short, short version of this fantastic story is that 28 Days Later saw our survivors go through hell after surviving threats from Infected and horny military types alike.
Selena kind of goes into hiding, but is lured back to the UK around the same time London is reopened in 28 Weeks Later. The ending is a somewhat happy one for Selena, as she flies off to the US just as hell is breaking loose on France. So I’m not sure how much my theory for 28 Years Later - The Bone Temple bringing Selena back into the fold would suffer. I mean, would you voluntarily return to a vicious hot zone if you didn’t have to?
How Will 28 Years Later Bring Jim Back?
The canonicity of 28 Weeks Later’s 2009 - 2011 comic sequel brings one more major question to the table, and also gives us a potential answer. You see, Cillian Murphy’s confirmed 28 Years Later return is the last major concern I’m wondering about, at least for the moment. I’m sure plenty of other fans are wondering the same thing, so let’s just get this final query out in the open: how the hell is Jim going to return in this ravaged UK?
If Boom! Studios’ 28 Days Later comic is canon, then our hero was supposed to be executed, thanks to his part in the death of Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston). Even if that event is still held as canon, it wouldn’t be the first time the former bike courier escaped certain death. There’s a chance that Jim could have escaped the clutches of the UK’s military and gone to a secluded location in the countryside.
That’s certainly what looks to have happened, if the recent Reddit post claiming to have an on-set photo of Cillian Murphy filming his role for the 28 Years Later trilogy is accurate. Which, more than likely, could be a secret shooting day to include some sort of tag promising his return at the end of 2026’s The Bone Temple; seeing as Murphy will not be in 28 Years Later.
I won't be leaving this rabbit hole any time soon, so you can count on me to keep digging for answers, which may create more questions in the process. The bright side is 28 Years Later's first chapter is set to debut on June 20th, so I probably won't have to hunt for much longer. However, if you want to join me, you can always digitally rent 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later, and start to connect the strings along with me. Or you can have a productive, normal life.... it's your choice!
