The fate of Danny Boyle’s28 Daysseries has been given a surprising update by producer Andrew Macdonald. Boyle directed Cillian Murphy in 2002’s28 Days Later, in which the Irish actor played Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma only to find that his beloved London has been ravaged by out-of-control citizens infected with the Rage Virus. A sequel,28 Weeks Later, followed in 2007, and while that film featured an entirely new cast, Boyle, Macdonald, Murphy, and original writer Alex Garland will all be returning for28 Years Later, which is slated for release in 2025.
Garland and Macdonald were on hand at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (viaTHR) on August 18 to discuss their working relationship over the years, as the duo have teamed up for a number of projects, includingEx MachinaandCivil War. The conversation inevitably turned to28 Years Later, and it was then that Macdonaldgave a surprising update on the movie, saying that filming had officially wrapped, and that he and Boyle were moving right into production on its sequel. Check out his comments below.
“We’re making, hopefully, three more28films with the first one called28 Years Laterthat Alex has written, and Danny has directed, and has finished shooting. Then we’re just about to start, tomorrow morning, actually, part two. And then we hope there’s going to be a third part and it’s a trilogy.”
28 Days Later
While nothing has been officially announced,paperwork filed with the United States Copyright Officeseemingly points to the sequel’s title being28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, meaning that unlike previous films which have experienced a large time jump, the follow-up to28 Years Laterwill instead be a direct continuation. Boyle will step aside for the second outing, passing directorial duties toCandymanandThe Marvels’director Nia DaCosta. As for the third film? Macdonald’s comments point to nothing being set in stone just yet for the franchise, but he remains hopeful that the planned trilogy will eventually come to fruition.
28 Years Later Boasts an All-Star Cast
While we already know that Murphy will be returning to reprise his role of Jim from the first movie,28 Years Laterhas also tapped a number of other notable actors to make first-time appearances in the series. Theseinclude Jodie Comer(Killing Eve,The Bikeriders), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron,Kraven the Hunter), and Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient,The Menu). Plot details for the movie remain under wraps for now, but executive producer Tom Rothman is already teasing that Murphy’s character will be back in an unexpected way.
When last we saw Jim in28 Days Later, he was with Selena and Hannah in North West England. Though its ambiguous ending hinted at the trio being spotted and presumably rescued by a fighter pilot, what became of them afterward remains a mystery.Speaking with Deadline earlier this year, however, Rothman revealed that Jim’s return will be surprising, saying that it’ll be “in a way that growls, let’s put it that way.”
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Does this mean that he’s now infected with the Rage Virus and being studied? Maybe he’s infected with some sort of hybrid concoction. Hell, maybe he’s a werewolf. Who knows? Either way, we’re certainly looking forward to stepping back into the world Boyle and Garland created more than 20 years ago, and are eager to see what comes next. We’ll have more news on the28 Daysseries as it becomes available.
