The Big Picture

Director Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later wraps production with a star-studded cast and a $60 million budget.
The film is the third installment in the cult-favorite trilogy, with original star Cillian Murphy returning.
Set for a June 20, 2025 release, little is known about the plot, but Jodie Comer may adopt a Geordie accent.

Director Danny Boyle’s upcoming horror flick 28 Years Later has hit a major milestone, with Screen Daily reporting that production has officially wrapped. The film comes as the third installment of the cult-favourite trilogy, comprising of previous films 28 Days Later, directed by Boyle, and 28 Weeks Later, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. 28 Years Later sees many of the original film’s biggest names return to the fray, with Boyle back as director, Alex Garland as screenwriter, and original star Cillian Murphy back to star in the upcoming sequel. Production began in May of this year, and the film boasts a budget of around $60 million: a sum that dwarfs 28 Days Later’s budget of $8 million, and 28 Weeks Later’s $15 million.

The original 2002 film, 28 Days Later, was a hit with horror fans, landing a respectable Tomatometer rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Boyle and written by Garland, the film starred Academy award-winner Murphy, who bagged his Best Actor win last year for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. 28 Days Later follows Jim (Murphy), a London bike courier who wakes up from a coma to find his city deserted, before discovering the truth that a viral outbreak has turned most of the city into vicious zombies. 2007’s 28 Weeks Later saw a new spin on Boyle and Garland’s original plot. The film stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, and Jeremy Renner, and is set after the events of the original film. Six months after the virus broke out, the film sees the military attempt to relocate survivors in a safe zone, however despite their good intentions, their attempts to repopulate London do not go as planned. The film sits at a Tomatometer score of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.

What Do We Know About ‘28 Years Later’?
Image via Fox Searchlight

28 Years Later is slated for a summer release, that will see the film in theaters 23 years after the first film’s release. The film will hit theaters on June 20, 2025, and will include a star-studded ensemble cast, including names such as Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, and Ralph Fiennes. Boyle and Garland are directing as well as producing, alongside the likes of Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, and Bernie Bellew. Little is known about the plot, however, earlier this year ELLE reported that Comer will be adopting a Geordie accent for her role, suggesting that the film may be set in Newcastle, UK.

Stay tuned to Collider for more on Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. 28 Days Later is available now to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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