‘28 Years Later‘ is enjoyable for what it is, but one of the biggest takeaways is that it was clearly a set-up for the follow-up film, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. While viewers could surely watch the latter without seeing either of the previous films, they will enjoy it much more if they know the lore and backstories of these characters.
The story picks up almost immediately after the events of ’28 Years Later’ as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is seen putting young Spike (Alfie Williams) to the test. This is a brilliant introduction to the villain of the film, as it becomes clear just how deranged and selfish he is during this fight. His fingers, which is what he calls his child followers, know no better to believe in this man who thinks he is the son of Satan. This sets up for some truly dark, twisted, and gory events that are much on par with the previous two films.
On the other side of things, we have Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson, whom we got to know a lot about in the previous film. This time he strikes up an unlikely “friendship” with the Alpha Infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Both of these plot points are captivating in their own way, as we move towards the climax of the film (which does not disappoint). The cinematography and Nia DaCosta’s directing choices are the best in the franchise, without a doubt. Being up close and personal with so many characters allows us to feel what they are feeling, whether it be terror, happiness, or peace.
Jack O’Connell will always and forever make a great villain. His role in ‘Sinners‘ is unforgettable, but he does something so phenomenal in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ that he will surely be remembered for it as well. This is a career-best performance for him. He is a mentally unstable man who is drawn to violence. Throughout the entire movie, he is captivating, yes, but it is the third act where he really shines.
The same can be said for Ralph Fiennes, who has a lot of incredible roles under his belt, but you have never seen him like this before. What he does, especially in that third act, is going to be talked about for years to come. Chi Lewis-Parry is also given a lot more to play with this time around, and he proves why he should be on many studios’ radars.
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ sets the bar high for 2026 films. Thanks to brilliant performances all around, a story that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, and some well placed jump scares, it is an unforgettable movie that ends the beloved franchise perfectly.
While the studio could certainly discover more story to be told, there is no need, as the ending just feels right.
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.
What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.
Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
(L to R) Chi Lewis-Parry and Ralph Fiennes star in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry about their work on ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, reprising their characters from ’28 Years Later,’ working together to create their characters unusual friendship on screen, and director Nia DaCosta’s unique vision for this world.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fiennes, Lewis-Parry, and Erin Kellyman.
Moviefone: To begin with, Ralph, can you talk about having the opportunity to play this character over the course of two films and what were some of the aspects of this character you were excited to explore this time around that you didn’t get a chance to explore in the last movie?
Ralph Fiennes: Well, yes, it’s great. Look, it’s great to play a part over two films. I don’t think I’ve done it before. No, of course I have with Voldemort (in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) and M (in the James Bond movies), I suppose. But this narrative is more in favor of Kelson’s story and Samson’s story together. Alex (Garland) has written a great part. We understand he’s a doctor, he takes palliative care of Jodie Comer‘s character in the last film. We understand he has that doctor’s instinct for care but he’s in a situation where he’s reliant on survival techniques. But I think this heightens his medical curiosity, which is also a human curiosity, isn’t it? If I want to cure someone, it’s because I believe in the value of mending a fellow human being. I think that’s totally innate to Kelson. His desire to mend, heal, and where he must accept death, it’s a recognition of the life that has been lived by the person who has died. I think he’s profoundly connected to the human experience and what it is to have lived and died. He’s got a mixture of the medic and the philosopher, and I think that’s explored in this. We see his goodness, and in the end, he puts himself on the line to protect young Spike (Alfie Williams). I think he’s a good guy.
MF: Chi, what was your approach to playing Samson and what are the challenges of portraying a character who is infected?
Chi Lewis-Parry: The cold, that was a big challenge. Dealing with the cold while being mostly naked, I found that the cold can really zap your energy. Samson is a very high energy character, and if he’s not high energy, he’s sitting or lying down, and again, exposed to the cold. It’s a mental state. Once the mind gives up, I feel like the body follows and then you’re in an uncontrollable shiver and that’s not good on camera. There was a mental stamina that I had to have to still appear like this big physically imposing destroyer in Samson. It was tough but manageable.
Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
MF: Ralph, what was it like working with director Nia DaCosta and can you talk about her unique vision for this world?
RF: Well, she was intent to come with a different filming approach. I think she made that clear to Danny (Boyle) and Alex, she didn’t want to ever attempt to imitate Danny’s directorial style. She came with a forensic delicacy. She loves the closeups and what’s going on inside the face of someone. The closeup is a great magnifier of human thought in a life and I think she’s edited the film to allow the closeups to breathe and I like that.
MF: Chi, can you talk about Samson’s unusual friendship with Dr. Kelson and what it was like working on the relationship with Ralph?
CLP: It was a complete dream come true. The relationship on screen is very much the relationship we have in real life because I have an affection for the man. I don’t hide it. If anything, I celebrate it. I think to have discovered a friend in this medium, I suppose, is odd and rare, especially one with such affection because I adore him, and he knows that. I’m so proud of being a part of this wonderful experience, and this wonderful film. I can’t wait for the universe to see it.
MF: Finally, Ralph, what was your experience like working with Chi on this project?
RF: Working with Chi was wonderful. He’s generous. He’s committed. He’s always present, ready to go, and ready to give of himself in the moment. That’s what you want with a good screen partner is that we dance together literally but we also dance together in our energies. He doesn’t speak much but all these scenes, he was transmitting feelings and thoughts and interior impulses which I could see in his face. That’s stuff just emerged between us. He comes onto the set with this wonderful generosity of spirit, and that’s rare.
What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.
Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
(L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘28 Years Later,’ as the title suggests, picks up nearly three decades since London –– and the rest of the UK–– was overtaken by a virus that turned its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims in 2002’s ’28 Days Later’.
While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed, are certainly a take on the zombie genre.
‘28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, picked up the story months later as the country is slowly cleared of the infected, with evacuated civilians returning –– even as the danger persists.
Boyle’s recent movie explores what life is like for the people who are making a go of living in the country –– and the fact that while the Infected are still a threat, the original movie’s theme of man’s inhumanity to man, even in the case of a unifying situation, also emerges.
The story of young Spike (Alfie Williams), the main survivor we met in that film will continue in the ‘Bone Temple’ alongside that of Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson, who has his own dealings with the infected. And it’ll also have more of a focus on the weird Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), the weird warrior who pops up at the end.
Who is involved in the third ‘28 Years Later’ movie?
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Alongside the returning cast, Garland –– who has written and produced the movies so far –– is back on script duty, and there is the distinct possibility that Boyle might also direct this one.
Plus, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy –– who played Jim in the original ‘28 Days Later’ (and –– spoiler alert –– shows up in ‘The Bone Temple’) is likely to have a meatier role in the new film.
When will the third ‘28 Years Later’ movie be in theaters?
The third movie has yet to be formally announced by Sony, but since ‘The Bone Temple’ was shot shortly after ‘28 Years Later,’ that will be in cinemas sooner rather than later: January 16, to be exact.
Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
An infected in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Director Danny Boyle’s ’28 Days Later,’ released in 2003, gave a fresh new spark of life (pardon the expression) to the reanimated dead. Well, hold up: the rabid, frenzied, flesh-tearing creatures of Boyle’s groundbreaking film were not zombies risen from the grave, but living humans infected with a powerful bioweapon – nicknamed the Rage Virus – that turned them into fast-moving, savage, homicidal murderers within minutes.
Boyle’s overwhelmingly violent Infected (as they came to be called), the use of digital video cameras for maximum flexibility, the filming in real locations, and the emphasis on character – particularly Cillian Murphy’s Jim – all contributed to the movie’s success and its impact on the zombie subgenre of horror, no matter what Boyle called his monsters. ’28 Weeks Later,’ a lackluster sequel without the involvement of either Boyle or writer Alex Garland (later to write and direct ‘Ex Machina,’‘Civil War,’ and ‘Warfare’), followed five years later, and rumors have persisted ever since about a third movie – with Boyle allegedly interested in returning.
Now it’s happened: Boyle and Garland have returned respectively to direct and write ’28 Years Later,’ which – as the title confirms – takes place decades after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. And true to form, the two filmmakers have once again crafted a horror epic that, while it may not feel as groundbreaking as the original, is incredibly intense, visceral, and atmospheric, while providing characters whose fates we come to care very much about.
Story and Direction
Director Danny Boyle for Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Anthony Ghnassia.
An opening card tells us that the Rage Virus was driven back from continental Europe but confined to the British mainland, with a strict quarantine in place and the survivors inside left to fend for themselves. Admittedly, there’s a rather large hole in the story here if you want to think about it: have there really been no attempts in nearly three decades to contact anyone living inside the quarantine zone, or find a way to rescue them? Perhaps Boyle and Garland are saying something about the transactional, indifferent relationship among nations now, in which a nation’s collapse leads others to push away as if they don’t want to get caught in its wake and pulled under with it, but it still sits there as a gap in the worldbuilding.
Otherwise that worldbuilding is largely well-handled. The bulk of the film takes place among the community of Holy Island, a thousand-acre patch floating off the coast and connected by a causeway. The community there is a rural, agrarian one, isolating themselves with heavy fortifications at the causeway entrance and the water around them doing the rest (their form of government is never quite explained, but they’re damn good at throwing drunken, almost ritualistic parties).
It’s here we meet 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), his dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his mum Isla (Jodie Comer), as Spike prepares for a kind of rite of passage in which he and his dad will cross the causeway to the mainland so that Spike can kill his first Infected. Isla, however, is not completely on board with it, but can’t do much about it either: she is suffering from a malady that causes her great pain, mood disorders, and memory loss, and since Holy Island has no doctors there is no way to determine what is afflicting her.
Jamie and Spike’s trip to the mainland – the rules are that if they don’t come back, no one will go out to look for them – is not exactly a walk in the park. They’re pursued by both slow-moving Infected that have bloated into almost slug-like form and the fast-moving brand seen in the previous two movies, only now mostly filthy, naked, and barely recognizable as human. There are also “alphas,” leader-type Infected whose bodies have been expanded to strongman proportions by the Rage Virus and are, if anything, even more relentless and brutal than the regular flavor.
Spike makes his first kill, although he bungles the rest (“the more you kill, the easier it gets,” his dad offers helpfully), and learns that there is an insane man living further out in the land who may have once been a doctor. “There are strange people on the mainland,” Jamie warns, but after father and son return to Holy Island and a lavish celebration – during which Spike sees Jamie do something that is hurtful to the boy – Spike turns on his dad, smuggles Isla from the house, and secretly takes her to the mainland, where he hopes to locate the doctor, Ian Kelson, and see if he can make his mother well again.
All this plays out in a visual aesthetic that pays homage to the original film but enhances it. Boyle uses up to 20 iPhones to shoot some sequences, including a sort of version of “bullet time” for a number of the film’s very gory kills. Yet the film is also shot in an ultra-wide 2:76:1 ratio, giving it an expansive feel while retaining the intimacy of the original movie. The editing is quick, as in ’28 Days,’ and often choppy, mirroring the chaos of the world in which the story is set, while certain scenes – like Spike and Jamie’s frantic dash back on the causeway against a glittering star-filled sky – have a dark fairy tale patina to them.
There are other sequences, some even in broad daylight with the backdrop of pristine green fields and mountains behind them, that border on nightmarish due to the frightening assault of the Infected at nearly every turn. There are moments of beauty as well, such as a late scene between Spike and Isla in the temple of bones glimpsed in the trailers. And there are bucketfuls of in-your-face gore as the Infected kill or are killed, with plenty of guts, gouts of blood, and decapitated heads on hand (not to mention one skin-crawling yet eventually poignant scene on an abandoned train) to firmly establish this new entry’s credentials for the zombie horror crowd.
But best of all, there is a great story behind it all, anchored by terrific characters like Jamie, Spike, Isla, and later, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). Although the script can feel episodic and there are some shifts in tone here and there that don’t quite line up, the fate of these people and the ordeal they go through is riveting enough to carry the movie to an ending that some folks may find irritating (because it all but advertises the sequel, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ which is due out next January).
There are three outstanding performances in ’28 Years Later.’ The first is by Alfie Williams, making his motion picture debut as Spike. This is really Spike’s story, a chronicle of his passage from brave but still nervous boy into a stronger, more resilient, more mature warrior, and Williams handles it with confidence, charisma, and a lack of standard child actor tricks.
Next is Jodie Comer, whose Isla takes more of a central role in the film’s second half as she and Spike venture onto the mainland. Her body and mind wracked by her illness, Isla is trying to break through the fog that envelops her even as her memories splinter and merge. The excellent Comer portrays all this with great empathy and a tragic nobility, showing us why she’s one of the best actors to emerge in recent years.
And then there’s Ralph Fiennes, whose Dr. Kelson seems genuinely eccentric and bizarrely funny when we first meet him, but who deepens into a figure of great compassion and dignity even if he walks around coated in iodine (“the Rage Virus doesn’t like it at all,” he notes). Fiennes brings his effortless gravitas to a role that could have been a stock nutty survivalist but is instead imbued with humanity and grace. His bone temple is a “memento mori,” a remembrance of the dead, that has a stark beauty all its own, and Fiennes’ work reflects that.
As for Aaron Taylor-Johnson, he’s fine. Sturdy, fearless, rugged, Jamie is a pillar of the community, a loving but tough dad, and unfortunately a flawed man who loses the trust of his son. But the character is not as deeply portrayed as the others, and largely sits out the second half of the movie. The other notable player is Edvin Ryding as Erik, a Swedish soldier who gets trapped on the mainland and spends some time with Spike and Isla. Ryding provides some welcome comic relief as he describes modern conveniences in the outside world that Spike has no idea exist – and gets a big laugh when she shows Spike a photo of his cosmetically enhanced girlfriend, whose filler-boosted face remains Spike of a friend’s allergic reaction to shellfish.
Like ’28 Days Later,’ and unlike, say, the socio-politically minded zombie films of George A. Romero, ’28 Years Later’ shies away from sociological or political themes. Yet there is something here about the way that societies crumble so quickly and yet take so long to reform, as well as the way in which humans can fall so rapidly into savagery. There are tantalizing questions raised about who or what else lives on the mainland, as well as what exactly is going on in the outside world, some of which will perhaps be answered in ‘The Bone Temple’ or a third film.
But what these films do continue to be about – aside from Boyle and Garland providing audiences with an intense, heart-pounding experience from start to finish – is the way in which individual human beings will strive to be kind and do good even among the most horrific of circumstances. Whether it’s in 28 days, 28 weeks, or 28 years, this is a message that bears repeating.
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What is the plot of ’28 Years Later’?
It’s been almost three decades since the Rage Virus escaped a bioweapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. When one of a group of survivors leaves their heavily defended island on a mission to the mainland, he discovers horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
After showing us what a near-future conflict in the United States could look like with 2024’s chilling ‘Civil War,’ writer-director Alex Garland has teamed up with Ray Mendoza – a former Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran who helped stage the battle sequences in ‘Civil War’ – to reconstruct a real-life incident in which Mendoza’s platoon was trapped by enemy insurgents in a Ramadi apartment house for several hours.
The result is ‘Warfare,’ a powerfully immersive and visceral recreation, told in semi-real time, of the events of a single day in November 2006. That’s when the platoon of Navy SEALs in which Mendoza was a communications officer, embedded in an apartment building on what was supposed to be a routine surveillance mission, found themselves surrounded by Al-Qaeda insurgents and under attack. The movie strips away almost anything not related to that single chain of events, making it both succinct and displaced in time, yet still an overwhelming visual and auditory document of the brutality of war.
Story and Direction
Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland on the set of ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
‘Warfare’ is based on the memories of Mendoza and others in his platoon about a single afternoon in which they find themselves pinned down in an apartment building in a dangerous neighborhood in Ramadi, while on what is supposed to be a low-key surveillance mission.
The first half hour of the movie starts out in almost restrained fashion, as the platoon quietly occupies the top floor of the building and tries to reassure the family they find there. A certain amount of tedium sets in as the SEALs settle into position and begin watching the area – but that tedium quickly gives way to unease and tension as they start to see a buildup of insurgents and weapons in the building opposite and realize that an attack is imminent.
When a grenade is hurled into the building, injuring lead sniper Elliot Miller (Cosmo Jarvis) and another SEAL, all hell breaks loose. An attempt to transport the injured outside to an armored vehicle ends with an IED exploding literally under their feet, killing a couple of Iraqi escorts and gravely injuring Miller (again) and another man. The platoon must retreat into the house and hope that reinforcements can come in time, all while defending their position against the encroaching insurgents.
The plot of ‘Warfare’ may be lean, as is the 95-minute running time, but what happens during that time is nothing less than an incredibly potent assault on the senses. Garland and Mendoza, aided by the extraordinary efforts of the production crew, immerse the viewer fully into the panic, terror, violence, and fog of battle. Bullets rip through walls and whine past soldiers; explosions shatter the confined space; smoke and debris cloud the vision; the air is filled with the screams of men in agonizing pain, the constant rattle of gunfire, barking voices over radios.
Director Ray Mendoza on the set of ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
Mendoza (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) does his best to keep Miller calm and still and safe even as chaos erupts around him and he continues to bleed out from his mutilated legs. The platoon leader, Erik (Will Poulter), goes into shock and melts down, unable to keep control of his nerves or the situation. Most terrifyingly, the men must wait for a second platoon to get to them and shore up their defenses, while sitting tight for hours until more armored vehicles can attempt another evacuation.
All of this happens in direct, no-nonsense style that plays out as a combination of high-octane action film and almost documentary-like authenticity. There are no triumphant victories, no heroic Hollywood moments, no musical score to tug at the emotions. What Garland and Mendoza simply aim to do is place the viewer right in the middle of a real-life “war is hell” nightmare, letting the pure, unspeakable intensity of the situation do all the heavy lifting – and they succeed.
Now there are two areas in which ‘Warfare’ may or may not fall down, depending on your perspective. Like other war films – particularly Ridley Scott’s ‘Black Hawk Down,’ to which this film does owe a large debt in some ways – ‘Warfare’ sacrifices character development for immediacy. We don’t really get to know the guys in the platoon, and as always seems to be the case, it’s often hard to tell who’s who in the midst of the most concentrated action. But the counterpoint to this is that ‘Warfare’ strives to be as realistic as possible, and in real life the sort of character-defining moments or arcs that occur in conventional Hollywood writing simply don’t happen. These are men (and it is all men this time) trying to do their jobs under the most harrowing circumstances possible, and we don’t have time for speeches or back stories.
The other area in which ‘Warfare’ may come under criticism is that of context: it’s widely established that the Iraq War was fought under false pretenses – making it more of an illegitimate invasion than a genuine war – but the movie does not address the geopolitical environment in which these troops fight at all. And again, the response is that this may be the point: ‘Warfare’ does not set out to make political statements – it shows what’s happening on the ground to the troops who are sent to fight whether they want to be there or not. And trust us – if ‘Warfare’ proves anything, it’s that almost no one in their right mind would want to be there. Stripped of context and traditional Hollywood tropes, ‘Warfare’ gets one point across: war is hell no matter where you are and who you’re fighting for.
Cast and Performances
Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
With little character development in the screenplay, it’s notable that the cast of unknowns and kind-of-knowns manage to make some discernible impressions. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (‘Reservation Dogs’) is striking as Mendoza himself, the soldier battling his own fear to keep his friend Miller alive and protect himself and his fellow platoon members. Charles Melton (‘May December’) also makes a powerful impression as Jake, the authoritative leader of the second platoon who arrives late in the game to reestablish command. That happens after Will Poulter’s Erik loses his grip, with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ star giving perhaps the most complicated performance in the film as a smart commanding officer who suddenly finds himself barely able to function at the worst time possible.
While the rest of the platoon does feature some familiar faces under their helmets, masks, and grime (Joseph Quinn and Noah Centineo among them), the actors stand out not for individual character moments but for their credibility as an ensemble – they certainly make you believe you’re watching a well-trained, well-organized group of soldiers who are doing their best to follow orders, protect each other, and stay alive.
Final Thoughts
Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
It’s difficult to say where Garland’s direction leaves off and Mendoza’s begins, but we’re guessing that the latter worked more directly with the actors based on his experience, while Garland handled the technical and practical side of the filmmaking, expanding on the expertise he’s developed on films like ‘Civil War’ and ‘Annihilation.’ Either way, it’s a seamless effort, aided immensely by the immersive cinematography of David J. Thompson, the precision editing of Fin Oates, the production design by Mark Digby, and especially the gut-churning sound design of Glenn Freemantle.
The result is a movie that defies standard Hollywood filmmaking conventions, and while some may find that jarring, well, we have no doubt that “jarring” doesn’t begin to cover the real experiences that Mendoza and his comrades went through. And even without political context or attempts at standard character journeys, ‘Warfare’ manages to bring forth the real cost of war for every human being involved with an incredible level of detail, horror, and authenticity. It’s brutal – as it should be.
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What is the plot of ‘Warfare’?
A platoon of Navy SEALS on a mission in insurgent-held territory during the Iraq War find themselves trapped in an apartment building by hostile forces and forced to wait for extraction.
Who is in the cast of ‘Warfare’?
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Ray Mendoza
Will Poulter as Erik
Cosmo Jarvis as Elliot Miller
Joseph Quinn as Sam
Kit Connor as Tommy
Michael Gandolfini as Lt. McDonald
Noah Centineo as Brian
Evan Holtzman as Brock
Charles Melton as Jake
Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s ‘Warfare’. Photo: A24.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Preview:
Cillian Murphy is not in new zombie outing ‘28 Years Later.’
One of the infected who looks a little like him shows up in the trailer.
Murphy is a producer behind the scenes.
We know him these days as the ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscar winner and star of the popular ‘Peaky Blinders’ crime series out of the UK (which itself has a big screen version on the way), but back in 2002, Cillian Murphy had a few film and TV credits to his name but broke out in a big way thanks to Danny Boyle’s horror thriller ‘28 Days Later,’ which drew praise for its inventive take on the zombie genre (more on that below), its guerilla filming style and intensity.
The movie spawned a sequel, 2007’s ‘28 Weeks Later,’ but Murphy didn’t return for that one, nor did Boyle or writer Alex Garland, aside from being executive producers.
Fast-forward a good few years to now and Boyle is back, alongside Garland (who has since gone on to enjoy a healthy directing career himself) for a new planned trilogy kicking off later this year with ‘28 Years Later.’ And following the launch of the first teaser trailer a few weeks ago speculation has been rife that Murphy shows up as a skeletally thin member of the infected.
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When in fact… it’s not him.
Producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed to Empire that the shambling creature is, in fact, not played by Murphy:
“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. 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.”
As for Boyle, he told the film magazine that his partner warned him of the similarity…
“I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”
What’s the story of ‘28 Days Later’?
Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
‘28 Days Later’ sees Murphy starring as Jim, a bike courier who has been in an accident and awakens from a coma to discover that London –– and the rest of the UK–– has been overtaken by a virus that turns its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims.
While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed, are certainly a take on the genre.
‘28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, picked up the story months later as the country is slowly cleared of the infected, with evacuated civilians returning –– even as the danger persists.
As the title suggests, ‘28 Years Later’ will then spin the clock forward nearly three decades to see what life is like for the people who are making a go of living in the country –– and the fact that while the Infected are still a threat, the original movie’s theme of man’s inhumanity to man, even in the case of a unifying situation, also emerges.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
After the internet lit up with chatter about the Infected in the trailer looking strikingly like Murphy, British art director Angus Neill told the UK’s Guardian newspaper that he’s behind the prosthetic:
“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role. So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part. On set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotize you and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”
You can see Neill’s professional Instagram listing here:
While Sony Pictures has yet to officially comment, Neill certainly looks the part.
Where can I see Cillian Murphy, then?
Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.
It’s not like Murphy is hurting for work –– he was in demand even before Christopher Nolan directed him to an Academy Award.
Murphy was most recently seen in indie title ‘Small Things Like These,’ which itself is drawing some awards attention.
He will be back on our screens in the aforementioned ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie for Netflix, reprising the role of crime boss Tommy Shelby. The film has yet to confirm a launch date.
Then there’s comedy drama ‘Steve,’ in which he plays the titular headteacher who is battling for his reform college’s survival while managing his mental health.
Finally, he’s attached to star in based-on-truth crime/mining drama ‘Blood Runs Coal.’
When will ‘28 Years Later’ be in theaters?
‘28 Years Later’ is currently scheduled to infect theaters on June 20th.
DaCosta’s ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ meanwhile, will follow on January 16th, 2026.
(L to R) Rose Byrne and Jeremy Renner in ’28 Weeks Later’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Glen Powell is starring in a new erotic thriller called ‘Homewreckers.’
It’ll adapt a short story by Neil M. Paik.
Various studios are vying for the rights to produce it.
Though his star has been rising for some time –– partially thanks to a big breakthrough in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ 2024 can be said to be the year of Glen Powell.
And it looks like it’s ending on a positive note, as a film he’s attached to star in is now at the center of a bidding contest between various studios.
The movie in question is an adaptation of a Neil M. Paik short story called ‘Homewreckers,’ which has been recently picked up by Legendary Pictures.
Paik’s story –– an unpublished three-chapter tale –– is being kept under wraps for now, at least outside of those who are trying to buy the movie project.
Legendary, Lionsgate, New Regency, Sony and Warner Bros. are among the companies making offers and in the mix for the project, which was unveiled to the town earlier this week.
Paik is one of those authors who has developed a talent for turning his short stories into coveted projects: ‘Reawakening,’ published by Six by Eight Press, was set up at Amazon as a series with ‘The Chi’s Lena Waithe overseeing it, also after a competitive situation. Another short story, ‘Rainbowfish,’ was set up at Warners.
With Powell aboard this one, it has an even better chance of making it through development, though obviously needs a writer and director attached.
What else has Glen Powell been seen in?
Glen Powell as Tyler in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
As mentioned, Powell is having a great year –– he began with ‘Anyone But You’ (technically released at the end of 2023 but a box office sensation by the time 2024).
It continued thanks to ‘Hit Man,’ the Netflix romantic comedy thriller, which he also co-wrote and produced.
That landed strong reviews and earned him a Golden Globe nomination earlier this week. And he starred in ‘Twisters,’ Universal’s update to the 1990s tornado flick. It proved popular with summer audiences, whipping up more than $370 million worldwide.
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Despite taking some time out to complete college courses, Powell shows no sign of slowing down, having shot TV series ‘Chad Powers’ and comedy thriller movie ‘Huntington.’
(L to R) Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Civil War.’ Photo: A24.
A24’s ‘Civil War’ takes a terrifying look at what would happen if the United States became fractured. The film follows a group of journalists who are determined to witness history no matter the cost – with chaos and fright at every corner.
While the movie seems inspired by the current political climate, it does not tell the story from either the left or the right. Rather, Garland focused on the battles between the citizens of the United States.
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Where Can I Watch ‘Civil War’?
Kirsten Dunst in ‘Civil War.’ Photo: A24.
The film premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2024, garnering positive reactions from critics and audiences alike. Originally scheduled for an April 26 release, ‘Civil War’ arrived in theaters on April 12. The film’s budget of $50 million makes it the most expensive movie to be released by A24. Since its release, it has grossed over $114.3 million worldwide. The movie has a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Garland’s action-thriller became available on digital platforms as of May 24, 2024. Missed it in theaters? Now you can enjoy all the action from home – rent for $19.99 or purchase for $24.99 on VOD platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.
‘Civil War’ presents California and Texas as a united force, which seems an unlikely alliance given how far they are apart politically. However, Garland does not tell the story from either side of the political aisle. The director intends for the film to start conversations and spark debates.
The cast has also spoken on the topic. “The whole movie is open to interpretation,” said Dunst in an interview with Variety. Nick Offerman calls the movie “a brilliant piece of fiction” at the film’s premiere and says that his depiction of the President of the United States isn’t based on current or former presidents, “When you see the movie, it’s so unattached to anything in modern politics, not only in your country but any country.”
For physical media lovers, the action-thriller will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD on July 9, 2024, and will include special features such as:
Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ Six-Part Documentary
Theatrical trailer
Those who purchase the physical copy from Amazon will also receive an Amazon Blu-ray Exclusive special feature with their copy – a Q&A with the cast and director.
In a near-future America, the United States has collapsed into civil war as different factions prepare for a final assault on Washington D.C. to unseat the President. A small band of journalists race across a once-familiar and now-dangerous country to get to the frontline and witness what happens.
Who’s In the Cast of ‘Civil War’
Kirsten Dunst as Lee Smith
Wagner Moura as Joel
Cailee Spaeny as Jessie
Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy
Nick Offerman as the President of the United States
Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes are starring in ‘28 Years Later’
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are behind the new movie.
Sony is distributing the movie, the start of a trilogy of films.
After many years in the wild weeds of speculation and rumor, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland finally confirmed that they’re getting back to the world they created with 2002’s ‘28 Days Later’ for a brand new follow-up called ‘28 Years Later’.
And far from just making one movie, their plan is actually to launch a trilogy, with Garland writing all three and Boyle directing the first. The initial round of casting has begun with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes joining the movie per Deadline.
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What’s the story of the ‘28 Days Later’ movies?
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
2002’s original movie saw Cillian Murphy playing Jim, a bicycle courier left in a coma after an accident. He awakes nearly a month later to discover London and the wider world have gone to hell after animal rights activists released a chimp infected with a virulent, genetically engineered plague that has spread to the population, leaving the city near deserted and haunted by roving packs of the rage-driven ‘infected’.
That was followed by ‘28 Weeks Later’ in 2007, which saw Juan Carlos Fresnadillo taking over directorial duties, with Boyle and Garland stepping back to be executive producers. The sequel is set as American forces arrive to help clean up Britain, civilians caught in the crossfire between soldiers and the remaining infected.
While the plot of the new movie is being kept under wraps for now, the title points to picking up the story decades after the original and seeing what has happened to the country since then. We’re guessing nothing good, but with Boyle and Garland involved, it’ll be entertaining finding out.
Who are the new actors playing?
(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.
As with the story info, we don’t yet know who the three new actors will be doing in the movie –– but they’re interesting nonetheless, since the 2002 entry was largely cast with rising stars and a few veterans sprinkled into the mix.
While Comer and Taylor-Johnson aren’t exactly veterans, they’re well established –– and that goes without saying for Fiennes.
What’s happening with the ‘28 Years Later’ trilogy?
‘The Marvels’ director Nia DeCosta.
With Boyle taking on the first movie, the plan is for him to direct it this year and for production of the second to kick off once the first has wrapped to ensure continuity of storytelling while each director will bring their visual stamp to their movie.
Nia DaCosta may direct the second ‘28 Years Later’ movie.
Director Danny Boyle and writer Andrew Garland are overseeing the extended horror franchise.
The movie continues the story started in ‘2002’s 28 Days Later’.
Back in January, we learned that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland had finally started putting concrete plans in place to craft another follow up to zombie movie ‘28 Days Later’, after years of speculation.
Things have moved on since that initial news –– Sony Pictures has agreed to finance and distribute what is now planned as a trilogy of films, and Nia DaCosta, who has made the likes of ‘Little Woods’, 2019’s ‘Candyman’ and last year’s ‘The Marvels’, is in talks to direct the second movie in the three-film series.
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What’s the story of the ‘28 Days Later’ films so far?
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Released in 2002, ’28 Days Later’ starred Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma to discover that London –– and the world –– has been overtaken by a virus that turns its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims.
While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed are certainly a take on the zombie genre.
‘28 Days Later’ was followed directly by 2007’s ‘28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, with Boyle and Garland only involved as executive producers.
The plot for ‘28 Years Later’ being kept under wraps for now, the title points to picking up the story decades after the original and seeing what has happened to the UK since then.
(Right) Director Alex Garland on the set of ‘Civil War.’ Photo: A24.
As of right now, the plan appears to be for Garland –– who, since the original, has gone on to quite the filmmaking career himself –– to write and produce all three movies.
Boyle, who is also a producer, is aboard to direct the first movie in the new trilogy.
According to Deadline’s new report, if DaCosta does indeed sign on, the strategy is for her to closely liaise with both Boyle and Garland so as to keep the storytelling consistent between all the movies, while also being given the freedom to put her own stamp on the look of the movie.
Murphy, who has yet to confirm whether he’ll appear in front of the camera, is certainly attached to be an executive producer on this one.
When will the first movie of the new ‘28 Years Later’ trilogy be in theaters?
With shooting taking aim at later this year, we don’t see this one releasing much before late 2025 at the earliest.
