28 Years Later: Writer, Director, And More Details
When it comes to returning to the world of "28 Days Later," fans have been crying out like Cillian Murphy's confused bike messenger, Jim, wondering if anyone is out there with another story to tell for years. The first film — written by Alex Garland and directed by Danny Boyle — didn't necessarily shuffle into being one of the best zombie movies of all time but rather sprinted like a feral Olympic runner. Five years later, the Rage virus, which transforms its victims into homicidal maniacs, returned in a slightly weaker dose with "28 Weeks Later" in 2007 and has laid dormant ever since.
Now, almost (ahem) 28 years since the first film, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed a brand new movie is in development. Providing a fresh dose of Rage, the untitled entry will be not only a trip back to the franchise but the first of a new and furious trilogy to scare the living snot out of us. But who will be at the helm, and which unfortunate souls will be sent running for the hills while that ominous and heart-pounding theme kicks in after almost three decades? Well, bar the doors and barricade the windows because they're coming whether you like it or not.
When will 28 Years Later be released?
It may have been a topic of discussion for fans and filmmakers involved for the last decade, but unfortunately, there's still no release date for the untitled "28 Days Later" sequel. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the new project is set to be shopped around to studios and streaming services to find a home for the all-new horror story, with not even a cast confirmed yet. Initially, the first film was distributed by the now-defunct Fox Atomic, a former subsidiary of 20th Century Studios, so there's a chance it could get funded by Disney dollars following the massive merger.
The mention of streaming services might leave fans a little nervous about the franchise's future, as the yet-to-be-titled film could potentially end up on small screens rather than big ones. Hopefully, since audiences have been vocal about wishing they'd seen particular films in theaters rather than at home (Dan Trachtenberg's "Prey" is a fine example), the upcoming entry is likelier to storm cinemas just like its predecessors. Given the talent that could potentially be involved, it certainly deserves it.
What is the plot of 28 Years Later?
With the return of the Rage virus still in its infancy, details about the next "28 Days Later" chapter are lying dormant, just waiting for someone to make a move so that chaos can kick right off. Speaking to The Independent about the prospect of a third film in 2019, Danny Boyle revealed, "Alex Garland and I have a wonderful idea for the third part. It's properly good." The cryptic elements stayed like that for years until, on the 20th anniversary, NME spoke to Boyle again about returning to that world with its original star, Cillian Murphy.
After the outlet brought the idea up to Boyle, the Oscar-winning director said, "It's funny, I hadn't thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered 'Bang, this script!' which is again set in England, very much about England. Anyway, we'll see...who knows?" Well, at least we know a bit more about it. What might get even more excited is just who would be up for returning for another scared sprint away from the monsters.
Who is starring in 28 Years Later?
Looking back on "28 Days Later" and its sequel, it's incredible how much of the cast became such massive Hollywood stars and flat-out household names. "28 Weeks Later" featured talents like Idris Elba, Jeremy Renner, and Rose Byrne. At the same time, the original film gave us an early look at would-be Oscar nominees Brendan Gleeson and Naomie Harris, along with "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy. At the moment, the question is if the next film will tell another separate story, much like George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" franchise, or if there's a chance we'd be reunited with Murphy's former bike messenger and his love that almost killed him in a heartbeat. Keep in mind how "28 Days Later" ended.
Still dabbling in other horror worlds with "A Quiet Place Part II," Murphy's fear levels seem to remain unaffected, and he has expressed his ongoing interest in returning to Boyle's franchise if the offer was there. The Independent broke the news to the actor, who was overjoyed it was going ahead. "That's great to hear. I didn't know that -– I would be there in a flash," he said. "I made two movies with both of those guys [Boyle and Garland], and I would love to work with them again. Of course, I'm there."
Who is directing 28 Years Later?
One huge reassurance about the prospect of this upcoming sequel to "28 Days Later" is that the director who dropped us into this nightmare in the first place is coming back for seconds. After only participating in "28 Weeks Later" as executive producer, the news from The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that this proposed trilogy would begin with Danny Boyle at the helm of the first film. It would mark the second sequel of his work he'd be returning to after the well-received "T2 Trainspotting" in 2017, which itself took 20-plus years to come to fruition.
The film's original writer, Alex Garland, has also made a name for himself as a director. After helming projects like "Ex-Machina" and "Annihilation," Garland is delivering another unsettling dystopia with "Civil War," which looks to be one of the movies that will blow everyone away in 2024. Should the next installment of the "28 Days Later" franchise be a success (which we hope it will be), Garland could fill the director's chair for whatever comes after. It would certainly make sense, given that he's set to map out our initial return visit anyway.
Who is writing and producing 28 Years Later?
Danny Boyle getting back to direct the high-speed horror is a perk, but Alex Garland being there to write the new chapter is equally as big a win. "28 Days Later" was the second writing project in Garland's career following "The Beach," and even after all this time, the idea for another story set in this furious world appears to have been rattling around his head ever since. Inverse wrote an oral history of the film, interviewing Garland, who hinted at the prospect of a threequel, having been unable to let go of the idea. "I resisted it for a long time because there were things about '28 Weeks' that bugged me," he said. "I just thought, 'F*** that. I'd rather try to write a different story in a different world.'"
Try as he might, Garland couldn't help stewing on a concept that found itself slap bang in the British Isles again, and the Rage virus still running rampant. "But a few years ago an idea materialized in my head for what would be really '28 Years Later.' Danny always liked the idea," he shared. Both Boyle and Garland would also be on board as producers, along with Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice, who co-produced the original film.
Is 28 Years Later part of a cinematic universe?
The only question remains if this secretive story in the "28 Days" universe would be linked to the original films beyond the armies of angry zombie-like infected. Given that this will mark a new trilogy, there's every chance it could branch off in either a new story split into three or a trio of tales that work more as anthology installments. It's not like they wouldn't have material outside the movies to work off, given that this dystopian world carried on in comic book form for a time.
"28 Days Later: The Aftermath" was a graphic novel set between "Days" and "Weeks" published in 2007. There was also a series titled "28 Days Later," which, besides referring to the second film, also focuses on Naomie Harris' character, Selena, who manages to evade the virus just as it enters Europe. While Garland has never referred to these alternate plot threads, it wouldn't be a wild move to see a comic book story come to life on the big screen (it's quite the done thing nowadays). Nevertheless, it'd be interesting to see if, with this new trilogy, all-new opportunities open up, allowing the franchise and the Rage virus to expand in horrific but exciting ways.