‘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.
Claire Foy in ‘The Crown’ season 2. Photo: Stuart Hendry / Netflix.
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Claire Foy is the latest addition to Danny Boyle’s next movie.
The ‘28 Years Later’ director is preparing a film about Rupert Murdoch.
‘Ink’ adapts James Graham’s play.
We previously brought word of ’28 Years Later’ director Danny Boyle’s next planned movie, this time a dip back into familiar territory for him –– a drama based on real events.
‘Ink’ will chronicle Rupert Murdoch’s efforts to save one of his newspapers as his media empire began to build in the UK.
Claire Foy stars in director Sarah Polley’s ‘Women Talking.’
‘Ink’, which playwright James Graham is adapting from his stage work, follows a group of visionaries and misfits who had an idea for a new kind of news –– one that would give the people what they want and would change the face of the world we live in today.
Specifically, it’ll chronicle Murdoch’s struggling newspaper, The Sun, as he intends to make it a must-read news source and hires Larry Lamb (O’Connell) to run the paper. The purchase of the paper would start a long-standing rivalry between The Sun and The Mirror, leading to the rise of the British tabloids as we know them.
Foy will play an ambitious editor who works with Lamb.
She’s also the lead in ‘H is for Hawk,’ about a woman who woman who is grieving her beloved father and finds unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel. The movie was picked up by Roadside Attractions for release in the US, but it has yet to lock in a date.
When will ‘Ink’ be on screens?
StudioCanal is fully backing the new movie and has a host of territories under its distribution deal, but has yet to announce a date and is still figuring out a partner to handle it in the US.
Danny Boyle (director, ’28 Years Later’) 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.
Guy Pearce and Jack O’Connell are in talks for Danny Boyle’s next movie.
The ‘28 Years Later’ director is preparing a film about Rupert Murdoch.
‘Ink’ adapts James Graham’s play.
Filmmaker Danny Boyle is no stranger to true-life tales of powerful figures, especially his unconventional 2015 biopic ‘Steve Jobs’.
So it’s perhaps not surprising that he’s targeting an even more infamous figure for new movie ‘Ink’, which will chart a pivotal time in the life and career of Fox company owner and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
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Boyle is developing the film and Deadline reports that he has two actors in talks to play main roles –– ‘The Brutalist’s Guy Pearce is circling the role of Murdoch, while Jack O’Connell is locking down a deal to play a newspaper editor.
Director Danny Boyle for Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Anthony Ghnassia.
‘Ink’, which playwright James Graham is adapting from his stage work, follows a group of visionaries and misfits who had an idea for a new kind of news –– one that would give the people what they want and would change the face of the world we live in today.
Specifically, it’ll chronicle Murdoch’s struggling UK newspaper, The Sun, as he intends to make it a must-read news source and hires Larry Lamb (O’Connell) to run the paper. The purchase of the paper would start a long-standing rivalry between The Sun and The Mirror, leading to the rise of the British tabloids as we know them.
Boyle aims to have the cameras rolling in October.
Where else can we see Guy Pearce and Jack O’Connell?
O’Connell, who was a charismatic vampire in ‘Sinners’, also appeared in Boyle’s ‘28 Years Later’ and will be even more part of follow-up ‘The Bone Temple’, which has been directed by Nia DaCosta and is due out on January 16th, 2026.
StudioCanal is fully backing the new movie and has a host of territories under its distribution deal, but has yet to announce a date and is still figuring out a partner to handle it in the US.
Jack O’Connell at the ‘Sinners’ London photocall. Photo: Warner Bros.
’28 Years Later’ has an ending that is dividing audiences.
The ending is a perfect transition into the next film, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.
The final scene could have been an end-credit scene.
SPOILER ALERT: Some spoilers for ‘28 Years Later’ below.
The ending of ‘28 Years Later‘ is getting people to talk about the movie, that’s for sure. Some love it, some hate it, some are indifferent to it, but either way you look at it, that final scene is splitting audiences. People online have gone so far as to say that the end completely ruined the movie for them.
While it does shift the movie tonally, it feels as if there is a reason for that. Nia DaCosta‘s follow-up, ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘, releases January 16, 2026, and this is likely a transition into that. It also ties together the opening scene as well as hints that were sprinkled throughout the film in an interesting way.
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’28 Years Later’ takes place, you guessed it, 28 years after the infection prominently featured in ‘28 Days Later‘ and ‘28 Weeks Later‘ started. It is not necessary to have seen the other movies, as this one follows a new group of people and does a decent job of catching viewers up on where they need to be to understand it.
Spike (Alfie Williams) has turned twelve and his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) believes it is time for him to go zombie hunting on the mainland and get his first kill. His mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), is very sick, although they do not know with what. After discovering there is a doctor on the mainland, he leaves the safety of his community with her to try to help her.
What follows is a terrifying adventure as they navigate a plethora of zombies and threats – including a pregnant zombie who births a non-infected child, something that will surely come back around later.
After Spike drops a newborn baby off at his community, he decides that he needs some time to clear his head and wander the countryside. You see, this movie has always been about him. About his relationship with his parents and his journey into adulthood. The trailers showcased Spike and Jamie, but that was in an effort to keep a lot of surprises, twists, and turns hidden so audiences can experience them on the big screen.
As he is cooking fish and relaxing, a zombie horde attacks. He holds his own for a while, but thankfully Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) shows up with some friends to take down the rest of the horde in a wild, ridiculous, over-the-top, yet extremely fun action sequences. The internet is calling this group Power Rangers and the Tracksuit Mafia, because they all wear brightly colored outits. Jimmy wears a crown on his head and definitely a weird guy, but this is not the first time we have seen him.
The opening scene showed a young Jimmy at the start of the infection. His father was a priest and welcomed the zombies, claiming that it was a prophecy being fulfilled. Jimmy hid in the church as he watched his father be devoured, so it makes sense that his brain might have snapped a little at that moment.
While we did not see him at all throughout the rest of the movie, we did see his name a few times. It was carved into the hanging zombie that Spike and his father come across early on, as well as written on one of the walls that they passed. There are likely even more references to him that eagle-eyed viewers can spot.
It might seem like this final scene comes completely out of left field, but it instantly felt like a transition into the next movie. Looking around the internet, so many have forgotten about Nia DaCosta’s ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ and the fact that it not only was shot together with this movie, but that it is releasing in January.
When a director takes over the franchise for another director, often they collaborate on the pivotal scene that leads from one to another. For example, The Russo Brothers directed the end-credit scene in ‘Thunderbolts*‘ because it is going to lead into ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘. Surely she had some involvement, and potentially even directed this divisive scene.
Jack O’Connell shined in ‘Sinners‘ as Remmick, a cenuries-old vampire who has some quirks of his own. He is a little weird and a little twisted, so it should come as no surprise that he is channeling a little bit of that into his ’28 Years Later’ character, Jimmy. Plus, it makes sense storywise for him to be a little off.
The Ending Would Have Been Easier To Digest As An End-Credit Scene
Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’), (L) and Danny Boyle (director, ’28 Years Later’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
All of this to say that the final sequence should have been an end-credit scene. This would have helped audiences separate the two with it not being such a stark difference from the majority of the movie, and certainly the third act. The tonal shift seems to be what it holding a lot of people back from allowing themselves to not only enjoy it, but to get excited about what is coming next.
It would have been easy enough to start rolling the credits when Spike was cooking the fish, but then during a mid-credit or end-credit scene show the zombie horde attacking with the lead-in to him meeting Jimmy and his crew. This would have helped viewers to see this as the start of the next movie, rather than an ending that comes out of nowhere for this one.
Alex Etel in ‘Millions’. Photo: Pathé Distribution.
Two boys, still grieving the death of their mother, find themselves the unwitting benefactors of a bag of bank robbery loot in the week before the United Kingdom switches its official currency to the Euro. What’s a kid to do?
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Beach’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Twenty-something Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumors state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss – excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.
(L to R) Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz in ‘A Life Less Ordinary’. Photo: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.
A couple of angels, O’Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo), are sent to Earth to make sure that their next supervised love-connection succeeds. They follow Celine (Cameron Diaz), a spoiled rich girl who has just accidentally shot a suitor and, due to a misunderstanding, is kidnapped by janitor Robert (Ewan McGregor). Although Celine quickly frees herself, she stays with Robert for thrills. O’Reilly and Jackson pursue, hoping to unite the prospective lovers.
(L to R) Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox and Ewan McGregor in ‘Shallow Grave’. Photo: Rank Film Distributors.
When David (Christopher Eccleston), Juliet (Kerry Fox), and Alex (Ewan McGregor) find their new roommate dead with a large sum of money, they agree to hide the body and keep the cash. However, this newfound fortune gradually corrodes their friendship.
(L to R) Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller in ‘T2 Trainspotting’. Photo: TriStar Pictures.
After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewan Bremner) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle).
James Franco in ‘127 Hours’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Himesh Patel in ‘Yesterday’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A struggling musician (Himesh Patel) realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where the group was forgotten.
(L to R) Vincent Cassel, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson in ‘Trance’. Photo:
A violent gang enlists the help of a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) in an attempt to locate a painting which somehow vanished in the middle of a heist.
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Chris Evans in ‘Sunshine’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.
Michael Fassbender in ‘Steve Jobs’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs — and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
Ewan McGregor in ‘Trainspotting’. Photo: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary — all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father’s fault. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is the story of the family’s sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
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.
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.
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.
