By james art Upcoming trilogy of sequels to 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later, Part II: Bone Temple directed by Nia DaCosta has ended
28 days later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have finally reunited to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected) movie classic. This sequel was created at Sony, that’s what it’s called 28 years later – and aims to launch an entire trilogy of 28 days later sequels. In fact, when producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed that the shooting of 28 years later were finished in August, he followed that up by saying they were about to start work on the second chapter of that trilogy. Boyle plans to direct only the first; for the second film, he handed over the reins to Candyman and The miracles directed by Nia DaCosta. Last week, cast member Ralph Fiennes said that the first two films in the trilogy had been filmed, and now industry insiders at Film Updates have been able to confirm that the second film, which apparently goes with the title 28 Years Later, Part II: The Bone Templealso finished production.
Garland wrote the screenplays for 28 years later and 28 Years Later, Part II: The Bone Templeand is expected to write the final entry in the trilogy as well. Although we have no information about what is happening in The bone templeFiennes revealed some details about 28 years later: “Britain is 28 years into this horrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid people with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hide in forests and hills and forests are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is someone we might think would be weird and strange, but is actually a force for good.“
Besides Fiennes, the cast of 28 years later featuring Jodie Comer (The cyclists), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy), and Erin Kelliman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). It is also said that 28 days later star Cillian Murphy returns ‘in a surprising way’.
In the original film, Murphy played bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find himself in an apocalyptic England that has been overrun by humans infected with a rabies virus. Boyle and Garland went through several endings for 28 days later before landing on the one moviegoers saw in theaters—and that ending was the only one Jim survived. So he’s still there, ready to experience another nightmare with the rage virus 28 years later. As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, “The 2002 film grossed $82.7 million worldwide and spawned a sequel, in 2007. 28 weeks lateralthough Boyle and Garland were only nominally involved as executive producers.”
Thanks to their deal with Sony, each of these new films will be released theatrically and have budgets in the $60 million range. 28 years later has a budget of $75 million.
Boyle and Garland are producing 28 years later with Bernie Bellew, original producer Andrew McDonald and Peter Rice, who was head of Fox Searchlight Pictures when that company backed 28 days later. Murphy is an executive producer. The film is slated to hit theaters on June 20, 2025. Release date for 28 Years Later, Part II: The Bone Temple not yet announced.
Are you happy to hear that production on two of the three films in this new trilogy has now wrapped? What do you think of the title? 28 Years Later, Part II: The Bone Temple? Let us know by leaving a comment below.