Cillian Murphy had already been kicking around in movies for a handful of years when Danny Boyle cast him in 28 Days Later, but indisputably, that movie put him on the map. Since that 2002 film, the Oppenheimer Oscar winner has appeared in dozens of movies, starred in Peaky Blinders (which will also be coming back soon in movie form), and made another post-apocalyptic turn in A Quiet Place 2. Yet it’s now time for Cillian to head back into the realm of the Rage Virus for more with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.
If this feels like a classier form of the current Daryl Dixon craze, that’s just fine. There’s an appetite for these horror stories, and Cillian can do whatever he wants in his post-Oscar glow. He’s choosing to go back to basics, and we shall soon see what his character, Jim, has been doing and perhaps why he missed out on 28 Weeks Later. Let’s discuss what we know about the threequel so far.
Plot
Yep, this franchise missed the 28 Months Later time frame, but the good news is that Cillian’s character, Jim, managed to survive the entire first film — where Cillian became Killian — and must still be kicking since he will appear in 28 Years Later. Also notably, this “threequel” will be the first of three planned new movies, which will take place decades after Jim awoke from a coma and wandered out into an abandoned London after the Rage Virus took hold. “Decades” is a long time to survive in a world where these infected zombies are not low energy, but recently, Cillian revealed that he did not consider the first film to be a zombie movie when he signed on the dotted line.
As noted above, Alex Garland is back in the writers’ chair after apparently growing tired of directing (Civil War was not the most stress-free movie to film or release), and Danny Boyle will direct the first new film with Nia DaCosta taking over for the second installment. Rumor has it that DaCosta’s sequel will have Bone Temple in the title, which is a weird flex that is not confirmed.
At present and according to BBC, Danny Boyle, Cillian, and crew have set up production in an English forest and a tidal island (Holy Island):
Film crews have been seen in Newcastle, Kielder Forest and, most prominently, on Holy Island for the past three weeks. Hundreds of people from the local area responded to a call for extras to play a hoard of rage-filled ‘zombies’ in crowd scenes on the island.
“I always think it’s good when they use local areas for stuff, also it brings more tourists to the island,” said Debra Gibbons, who was surprised to discover the filming when out for a walk on Holy Island.
Imagine stumbling upon rage zombies while out for a morning stroll.
Jodie Comer has also hinted that Boyle is getting experimental with “camera work” during an interview with Comic Book:
“I think there’ll be a lot of — just seeing what they’re doing with the camera work, I think there’ll be a lot of new. It’s him, it’s Danny, and I think he’s constantly trying to find new ways and I think, just seeing where they’ve gone with it and all the new additions and explorations, I think people are going to be very excited.”
Well, Cillian has been very excited about the story “idea” that Alex Garland dreamed up for this revival, but more specifics are under lock and key.
Cast
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer co-star and are already accustomed to kicking ass, so now, they can do that to the undead. The cast also includes Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell, although the latter will reportedly only play a small role in Boyle’s movie but “more of a lead role” for DaCosta.
Release Date
28 Years Later is currently scheduled for a June 20, 2025 release.
Trailer
While we await this movie, it’s worth revisiting Cillian’s haunted-survivor performance in A Quiet Place 2. It’s a mode that he does well.
