20 years ago, a horror classic unfolded in the UK with the debut of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later. Introducing the world to “The Infected,” as well as making a splash in the early careers of Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, the film is still regarded as a genre favorite.
So much so that the question of another sequel to the saga is something that Murphy and Boyle are still asked about, even if it’s not likely to make the schedule of upcoming movies any time soon. A recent interview with NME saw the 28 Days Later collaborators both fielding the matter with a new update.
With a proposed sequel that has often been named 28 Months Later floating in the consciousness since 2007’s 28 Weeks Later continued the story, Cillian Murphy’s answer to the question is still optimistic. However, as you'll read below, it's to be taken with some specific caveats:
I think there’s a problem with that, in that I’m 20 years older… But every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it. Because I showed it to my kids recently, some Halloween about four or five years ago, and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.
In the years since Murphy’s Jim made that harrowing voyage up the English countryside, his profile has risen with projects like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. The former star of Peaky Blinders has even had his name suggested as a well favored James Bond candidate from time to time. And yet, you can tell that if a 28 Days Later sequel could plausibly bring him back to the fold, Cillian Murphy would probably say yes in a heartbeat.
Pairing that with director Danny Boyle’s remarks on the potential for another entry in the 28 Cycle is a recipe for fans to become absolutely ravenous. Recalling the fact that an Alex Garland draft of 28 Months Later does exist from a couple of years ago, Boyle’s update on the potential project is just as cautiously optimistic as that of Cillian Murphy:
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.
28 Days Later is another darkly beautiful franchise that hasn’t gotten a trilogy, despite a really good hook existing at the end of 28 Weeks Later. Invoking the spirit of Top Gun’s own legacy-quel is probably the best move when trying to make a third chapter happen in the end. Should that come to pass, here’s hoping the concept allows the director and star that helped make the original a legendary fright get to reunite for another journey into the apocalypse.
Cillian Murphy’s next big project sees him hitting the schedule of 2023 new movie releases with Oppenheimer, which is set to open on July 21, 2023. Meanwhile, readers with a Hulu subscription can watch Danny Boyle’s punk rock history series Pistol, as all episodes of the FX show are currently streaming on that platform.
