The rage virus isn't done yet as Sony locks in the future of the '28 Years Later' trilogy
The rage-virus-infected zombies from the post-apocalyptic world of '28 Days Later' have time and again found cause to return to haunt the screens. This time, Sony is making doubly sure that the '28 Years Later' franchise shows no signs of slowing down. The popularity of the original film that marked the hit collaboration between director Danny Boyle, actor Cillian Murphy, and writer Alex Garland spawned the first sequel '28 Weeks Later', in 2007. However, the franchise was resurrected for real in 2025 when the Oscar-winning director returned to helm '28 Years Later'.
Collider reports that Boyle originally designed the new trilogy to roll out one after the other. There was an important condition that determined whether the second and third movies of the trilogy would ever see the light of day. While '28 Years Later' and the second film in the trilogy, i.e., '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple', were filmed simultaneously, with the latter directed by Nia DaCosta, Sony had initially decided to play it safe and access audience engagement metrics before greenlighting the third instalment. That hour is finally here, and, according to an IGN report, Sony has officially greenlit the third film after initial screenings of 'The Bone Temple' confirmed its popularity.
In the absence of an official title announcement, the details surrounding the third movie are being kept under wraps. Nevertheless, Deadline had previously reported that the third film would potentially feature Murphy's return to the franchise as an actor. Keeping in mind that although the 'Oppenheimer' actor had been associated with the other films in the franchise in the capacity of the producer, Murphy made a surprise appearance in the finale of 'The Bone Temple' as the familiar character of Jim.
Speaking in a recent interview, Murphy had indicated that he might play a significant role in the third film; however, "in order for that to happen, every single person has to go and see Bone Temple," he had remarked. It remains to be seen whether the third film will play out with an enlarged character arc for Jim. Garland is speculated to be the writer for the third movie as well.
The IP of the franchise itself came to be owned by Sony following a pitched battle with other competing film production giants. '28 Years Later' harped on the elements of indie filmmaking and uncanny horror that had been executed so well in the original movie. As the title suggests, the events of the film take place a little less than three decades after '28 Days Later' and feature a new cast. The plot follows Alfie Williams' Spike, who finds himself in great peril across the zombie-infested wasteland in a post-apocalyptic Europe. The carnage and destruction have left medical care hard to access, and therefore, Spike must accompany his ailing mother, played by Jodie Comer, in search of the mysterious Dr. Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes.
