We all pretty much guessed that the 28 Days franchise can’t end with a third movie. It is one of the most talked-about and successful franchises since the release of 28 Days Later back in 2002, and according to reports, the 28 Years Later universe is once again expanding, and the momentum has never been stronger.
What began in 2002 as a movie inspired by the classic dystopian fantasy of the zombie genre has slowly grown into a multigenerational saga. The second movie, 28 Weeks Later, was released in the year 2007, and earlier this year, 28 Years Later hit the cinema with much praise and positive reviews.
A new spin-off sparks the franchise back to life
Each of the new entries, no matter when they are released, has brought a renewed interest among all fans and audiences, and the early response to the upcoming spin-off, 28 Years Later: Bone Temple, has reportedly pushed Sony to move ahead with a new installment in the trilogy.
With every 28 Days movie-loving fans responding enthusiastically during previews, the studio seems to be very much on board and eager to keep the pulse racing.
The original writer of the OG film, Alex Garland, is said to return and will continue the creative link that has defined the series since 2002. What’s even more exciting for longtime fans is that the news of Cillian Murphy returning as Jim from 28 Days Later.
Additionally, he is now an executive producer on both 28 Years Later and Bone Temple. He is said to have a significant presence in the as-yet-untitled third entry and will reportedly appear briefly in the upcoming Bone Temple as well.
According to the reports, Sony initially secured rights to produce all three films at once, but due to a couple of factors, they chose to shoot the first two before giving the final chapter a green light.
Ralph Fiennes and Cillian Murphy anchor the saga’s biggest mystery
We know that Danny Boyle returned to direct the 2025 film, while the world-famous Candyman director Nia DaCosta is taking over for Bone Temple. Boyle is said to have been upfront that this revival was always conceived as a “true trilogy,” despite Sony’s hesitations about labeling it one.
He has described a narrative arc that threads through all three films, with certain characters, most notably Ralph Fiennes’ 28 Years Later doctor and Murphy’s Jim, who was in a coma when everything went south around him.
And most importantly, this trilogy does not pick up the thread left dangling in 28 Weeks Later, which ended by suggesting that the rage virus had reached the mainland from London.
Boyle and Garland made the choice to reset the mythology, imagining a scenario in which Europe pushed the infection back to Britain, isolating the island and letting the virus burn out with time.
