Game-changing British horror 28 Days Later is finally getting a second sequel, with THR reporting that 28 Years Later is “expected to hit studios, streamers and other potential buyers later this week.”
That’s not all though – the long-awaited zombie sequel could be the first in a brand new trilogy of sequels continuing the story first started by director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland back in 2002. Boyle is expected to return to direct for 28 Years Later at least, while Garland (famed for his work on Annihilation, Ex Machina, Men and the upcoming Civil War) is set to write all thee. Each movie would reportedly require a $75 million budget.
28 Days Later starred Cillian Murphy (now sweeping awards thanks to his performance in Oppenheimer) in his breakout role, Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns and Christopher Eccleston as survivors of a contagious, apocalyptic ‘rage’ virus. The movie reignited interest in the zombie genre, directly influencing everything from World War Z to The Walking Dead. A first sequel, 28 Weeks Later starring Robert Carlyle, was released in 2007.
Both Boyle and Garland have previously expressed interest in returning to the world of 28 Days Later, with Boyle last year speaking to NME about the potential for a second sequel:
“I’d be very tempted [to direct it]. It feels like a very good time actually. 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? It might come back into focus because one of the things that’s happening in the business at the moment is it has to be a big reason for you to go to the cinema, because there are less and less reasons. It’s hard for companies distributing films and for cinema chains to show films, they’re struggling to get people into the cinema unless it’s something like Top Gun: Maverick or a Marvel. But a third part would get people in, if it was half-decent.”
We can’t imagine that any studio or streamer will pass up on the chance to get involved with 28 Years Later, so more news on plot, casting and release will surely be on the way shortly. Stay tuned.
