28 Years Later Third Film Officially Happening: Cillian Murphy in Talks to Reprise Iconic Role

The 28 Years Later franchise is officially expanding beyond its initially planned trilogy endpoint, with Sony Pictures moving forward on a third installment following overwhelmingly positive fan reactions to early screenings of the second film. The studio has greenlit the untitled third movie with franchise scribe Alex Garland returning to write the script, and most excitingly for fans, Cillian Murphy is currently in talks to reprise his iconic role as Jim from the original 28 Days Later. This announcement marks a triumphant continuation of one of horror cinema’s most influential franchises, bringing the story full circle with its original star.

The decision to proceed with the third 28 Years Later film came less than 24 hours after surprise screenings of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple generated electric responses from audiences in New York and Los Angeles. The sequel, directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels), is scheduled for release on January 16, 2026, over MLK weekend. The enthusiastic reception convinced Sony executives that the franchise has enough momentum to warrant completing the planned trilogy, though the studio had initially opted to wait before committing to the third chapter.

Cillian Murphy Returns to Where It All Began

The involvement of Cillian Murphy in the third 28 Years Later film represents a poignant full-circle moment for both the actor and the franchise. Murphy starred in the original 28 Days Later in 2002 as Jim, a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to find London devastated by the rage virus. The film launched Murphy’s international career and has since become recognized as one of his breakthrough performances. More than two decades later, Murphy returns as an Academy Award winner, having claimed the Best Actor Oscar for his stunning portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 biographical epic.

Director Danny Boyle has been open about strategically using Murphy’s involvement to secure financing and creative freedom for the new trilogy. In interviews promoting 28 Years Later, Boyle candidly admitted, “You promise them Cillian Murphy, that’s quite a deflection of any technical concerns. They soon forget. We nakedly used that to get our own way.” This leverage proved particularly useful when Boyle insisted on filming the first installment using iPhones, a bold technical choice that initially raised eyebrows at the studio.

Murphy does not appear in the first 28 Years Later film, which was released on June 20, 2025. However, Boyle confirmed that Murphy features in the ending of The Bone Temple, with his character’s return serving as a crucial bridge to the third installment. “He is in the second one,” Boyle told IGN. “I shouldn’t give away too much. I’ll get killed.” The director added that incorporating Murphy could help secure financing for the third film: “All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed.”

The Franchise’s Remarkable Box Office Journey

The decision to greenlight the third 28 Years Later film comes on the heels of impressive box office performance for the first installment. Released in June 2025, 28 Years Later opened to $30 million domestically and matched that figure internationally, achieving a $60 million global debut that exactly matched its $60 million production budget. The film went on to gross $70.4 million domestically and $151.3 million worldwide, easily becoming the highest-grossing entry in the franchise’s history.

This performance represents a massive leap from the original films. The 2002 28 Days Later, made on a modest $8 million budget, opened to $10 million domestically and earned $72 million worldwide. The 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, which did not involve Boyle or Garland and featured an entirely new cast, opened to $9.8 million domestically on a $15 million budget and grossed approximately $65 million worldwide. Across all three films released to date, the British horror series has generated close to $300 million in worldwide box office revenue.

The June 2025 release timing proved strategic for 28 Years Later, positioning it as a major summer horror event. The film benefited from strong critical reception, earning a rare 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 393 critics’ reviews, making it the best-reviewed entry in the franchise. While audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes were more mixed at 67%, the film’s unique blend of post-apocalyptic horror and character-driven drama resonated strongly enough to sustain its theatrical run through competitive summer months.

Back-to-Back Production Strategy

When Sony won the rights to the 28 Years Later trilogy in January 2024 after a competitive bidding war, the studio committed to producing two films back-to-back while maintaining an option for the third. This strategic approach allowed for efficient production schedules and ensured narrative continuity between the first two installments. Danny Boyle directed the first film while Nia DaCosta took the reins for The Bone Temple, with both filmmakers working closely with Alex Garland to maintain thematic and tonal consistency across the trilogy.

Boyle has expressed interest in returning to direct the third installment, which would bookend the trilogy with his distinctive visual style and intimate approach to large-scale disaster scenarios. His involvement seems likely given his passionate advocacy for the franchise and his expressed desire to helm the conclusion. In interviews, Boyle has stated that each story in the trilogy completes itself while also featuring handover sections to the next film, creating an ambitious narrative structure that rewards viewers who follow the entire arc.

The back-to-back production of the first two films allowed the creative team to build elaborate sets and locations that could serve both installments, including extensive filming in the United Kingdom. This efficient approach maximized the production budget while ensuring visual consistency. The decision to wait on greenlighting the third film depended on the commercial and critical reception of the first installment, a gamble that has clearly paid off given the enthusiastic response.

Alex Garland’s Continued Involvement

Alex Garland’s return to write the third 28 Years Later film ensures continuity with the franchise’s original vision. Garland penned the original 28 Days Later screenplay that launched the franchise, establishing the rage virus mythology and the intimate, character-focused approach to apocalyptic horror that distinguished these films from typical zombie fare. He returned to write both 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple, crafting an interconnected trilogy that explores different aspects of post-outbreak survival.

Between the original film and the new trilogy, Garland evolved from screenwriter to accomplished writer-director in his own right. His directorial efforts include Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation (2018), Men (2022), Civil War (2024), and Warfare (2025). Civil War in particular demonstrated Garland’s ability to handle large-scale societal collapse narratives, grossing $68.7 million domestically and becoming A24’s highest global earner. This experience enriches his approach to the 28 Years Later trilogy, bringing sophisticated thematic depth to the visceral horror premise.

Garland has addressed the long development timeline for the new trilogy in various interviews, confirming that while the project had fallen into development hell for years, serious behind-the-scenes discussions eventually brought it to fruition. The tentative title “28 Months Later” was floated at various points during development before the creative team settled on the more ambitious time jump to 28 years, allowing them to explore how society might evolve (or devolve) nearly three decades after the initial outbreak.

The Bone Temple’s Crucial Bridge

The success of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will play a crucial role in shaping the third film’s narrative direction and commercial viability. Early screenings that prompted Sony’s greenlight decision generated praise for DaCosta’s bold directorial choices and the film’s willingness to take the franchise in unexpected directions. Boyle himself has championed DaCosta’s work, noting that she was clear about not making “a Danny Boyle movie” and instead crafted her own distinct vision within the franchise’s universe.

The Bone Temple continues the story of Spike, a 12-year-old boy played by Alfie Williams who serves as the narrative through-line for the trilogy. The film also features returning cast members Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson and Jack O’Connell as Jimmy Crystal, both of whom could potentially appear in the third installment if their characters survive. The film explores the shocking new relationships that emerge in the post-apocalyptic world and examines how the fiercely divided human population has evolved in response to the ongoing threat.

The January 2026 release date positions The Bone Temple as a major winter tentpole, capitalizing on the post-holiday moviegoing season. The MLK weekend release provides a four-day opening window that could generate strong initial box office numbers. More importantly for the trilogy’s future, the film’s reception will determine audience appetite for the conclusion and potentially influence the third film’s tone, scope, and budget allocation.

A Legacy Decades in the Making

The 28 Years Later trilogy represents the culmination of over two decades of franchise evolution. The original 28 Days Later, released by Fox Searchlight in 2002, revolutionized zombie cinema with its fast-moving “infected” antagonists and intimate survival drama. The film’s low-budget, handheld aesthetic and emotionally grounded performances influenced countless subsequent horror films and television series, most notably The Walking Dead franchise.

The 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, while financially successful, diverged from Boyle and Garland’s original vision. Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by a team that did not include Garland, the film took a more action-oriented approach focused on military response to the outbreak. Though competently executed, it lacked the original’s emotional resonance and philosophical depth, leaving fans hoping for a return to form that would take over 15 years to materialize.

The new trilogy’s commitment to character-driven storytelling within the apocalyptic framework has reinvigorated the franchise. The films explore themes of societal collapse, human resilience, and the cost of survival through intimate character studies rather than spectacle-heavy destruction sequences. This approach has proven commercially viable in an era dominated by franchise filmmaking, demonstrating that audiences still respond to auteur-driven horror when executed with skill and conviction.

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