28 Days Later was a unique take on the zombie concept that, and it garnered praise from fans and critics alike over 20 years ago. The film received one sequel in 2007, 28 Weeks Later, and fans later hoped for a threequel. Well, now, not only will they receive a third movie with 28 Years Later, which is on the 2025 movie schedule, but they can also look forward to multiple new films. Cast member Ralph Fiennes just shared some details regarding what can be expected, and he's getting me pumped for what's to come.
It was known that 28 Years Later would act as some sort of direct sequel to 28 Days Later, with Cillian Murphy set to reprise his role from the original film. Still, up to this point, the exact plot of the new movie, or movies (with three being planned) was unclear. While speaking with IndieWire, Ralph Fiennes revealed that he will be playing a doctor in the new movies, and he explained how his character fits into the overall story. Fiennes said…
It’s three films, of which two have been shot. Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.
Each of the previous two films focused on different people who simply tried to survive in the new world they had been subjected to. Interestingly, the new film will center on a character who apparently have never known any other world. It’s actually a very intriguing concept that we don’t see often and will likely set 28 Years Later apart amongst zombie movies. Writer Alex Garland revealed that time will be a major element in the latest films, which makes this even more interesting.
As the title indicates, 28 Years Later will take place decades after the initial infection, and it seems that the dangerous creatures (which used to be human beings) will still pose major threats to anybody trying to navigate the world. While the new film will feature both franchise veterans and new faces, from what we can assess, the latter group of characters will truly take center stage.
Ralph Fiennes also revealed that the producers are wasting no time in plotting out the trilogy of new films. It was known that the first movie had already completed filming but, apparently, the second film has as well. That's exciting news and, hopefully, these upcoming flicks will live up to the high standard set by the original movie.
While 28 Days Later is not currently available to stream, 28 Weeks Later can be accessed using a Paramount+ subscription.
