28 Years Later, the upcoming entry in the 28 Days Later series, is shaping up to be a far different movie than its predecessors. The original film helped reinvigorate the zombie sub-genre (even if the Rage-infected hordes ravaging Great Britain aren’t technically undead). This led to a radically transformed horror landscape in 21st-century pop culture. Little is known about the film’s plot or characters at the time of writing, outside the expected budget and scope of the film, but it has been confirmed that Cillian Murphy, Danny Boyle, and Alex Garland are returning for 28 Years Later.
Those details are enough to hint at the shape of 28 Years Later‘s story and suggest it’ll be a far larger endeavor than previous entries in the series. 28 Years Later, along with 28 Years Later Part 2, which is said to be in the works as well, are poised to be much bigger than the first film, with budgets (and expectations) far exceeding the original movie. Here are seven ways that 28 Years Later is poised to be a very different kind of film from 28 Days Later and its 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, especially as it enters a radically different cinematic and global landscape.
8 Characters Whose Stories Need Resolving In 28 Years Later
While neither 28 Days nor 28 Weeks Later left many survivors, some characters still need a resolution to their story. Here’s who could return.
7 28 Years Later Is Being Written In A Post-COVID World
How COVID-19’s Legacy Could Impact 28 Years Later
The world is very different from what it was when the first two films were released, and the franchise gained additional layers following the events of 2020. 28 Days Later focused on a world ravaged by those infected with the Rage Virus. The disease was spread from an infected animal to a human being, leading to outbreaks across Great Britain. The plot of the film played on the fears of the early 21st century, but it takes on additional meaning in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
28 Years Later will be dealing with a society that is likely still reeling from the pandemic of the original film. This will give Boyle and Garland plenty of ways to reflect on how the real world has been shaken by an event that bears some surprising similarities to their first movie. 28 Years Later could serve as a strong cinematic metaphor for dealing with the aftermath of a pandemic. Even if the film goes in a different direction, 28 Years Later will have to reckon with the similarities its story could have to a post-COVID world.
6 28 Years Later Will Have A Much Larger Budget
28 Years Later’s Budget Is Over Seven Times Larger Than 28 Days Later’s
28 Years Later will have a much larger budget than 28 Days Later, which was produced for a remarkably modest amount of money. 28 Years Later and the subsequent 28 Years Later Part 2 are said to each have budgets in the range of $60 million. This far outpaces 28 Days Later, which was produced for $8 million and even ran out of money during production. 28 Weeks Later wasn’t made for much more at $15 million.
28 Years Later‘s larger budget makes natural sense, just from the standpoint of the creatives on the project. Although Boyle was already an established director, he’s since achieved numerous Academy Award nominations and won one. Garland has become an acclaimed director himself, and Murphy is now an Academy Award-nominated leading man.
The increased budget will afford the filmmakers a much larger scope, perhaps tackling the impact of the Rage Virus on the entire world instead of just Great Britain. The budget will give them plenty more room to carry out their vision, as opposed to the very specific filming requirements of 28 Days Later. Still, the film will hopefully retain the original’s grounded tone.
28 Years Later Happening Should Be Exciting, But 1 Detail Ruined It
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5 28 Years Later Isn’t The Originally Intended Sequel
How 28 Months Later Evolved Into 28 Years Later
Boyle and Garland were both executive producers on 28 Weeks Later. The film focuses on a group of survivors trying to escape Great Britain when a new outbreak of the Rage Virus tears through a NATO-led relief effort. There were plans for a third entry in the series, 28 Months Later, which likely would have dealt with the fallout of 28 Weeks Later‘s ending. That film concluded with the Rage Virus escaping the British Isles and spreading to France. However, 28 Months Later never made it past development.
Going with the titling structure of the series, 28 Months Later would have taken place two and half years after 28 Weeks Later. However, 28 Years Later will come decades after the original film’s event, allowing the filmmakers to create a completely different world in light of the spread of the Rage Virus. 28 Years Later presents afar more interesting universe for Boyle and Garland to explore than the originally intended sequel would have and could be very different as a result.
4 28 Years Later Is Being Made Post-Walking Dead
28 Years Later Is Joining A Genre 28 Days Later Reinvented
Even though the Rage-infected citizens of 28 Days Later aren’t technically zombies, their ravenous and infectious attacks create a clear comparison to the undead. 28 Days Later inspired a resurgence in the zombie sub-genre and is credited with changing the horror of the era. The film introduced speedier variants of monstrous hordes, a trend that carried over into titles like 2004’s Dawn of the Dead and 2007’s I Am Legend. 28 Days Later was as much a bleak character drama as it was a horror film, which is reflected in subsequent franchises like The Walking Dead.
28 Years Later is entering a cinematic world that was irrecoverably changed by its predecessors. As a result, 28 Years Later will have to be particularly inventive to stand out from the other horror films and shows that have benefited from the influence of 28 Days Later. The Walking Dead in particular utilized the bleak but enduring tone that 28 Days Later codified, giving 28 Years Later a direct comparison in the genre. It will be interesting to see if 28 Years Later takes any influence from the films that the success of 28 Days Later begat.
3 28 Years Later Will Be Executive Produced By Cillian Murphy
That Doesn’t Mean Cillian Murphy’s Reprising Jim
Murphy is an executive producer on 28 Years Later, but he may not star in the movie. 28 Days Later was one of Murphy’s first major film roles, moving the actor further into the spotlight. In the movie, Murphy plays Jim, a courier who was knocked into a coma shortly before the outbreak of the Rage Virus. The film largely follows Jim as he works with other survivors to endure the horrifying world he’s woken up in. Murphy has revealed he’d be interested in returning as Jim, but his role has not been confirmed.
28 Years Later could focus on Jim’s life in the years following the events of the original film, giving the series a deliberate sense of closure. 28 Weeks Later proved the series doesn’t necessarily need to focus on Jim, however, shifting focus completely away from the character. If Murphy returns onscreen in 28 Years Later, his role as executive producer on the project will give him more authority in developing the character. Murphy’s involvement in the project is inherently exciting, suggesting he supports the vision that Boyle and Garland have created for the sequel.
2 28 Years Later Will Be A Two-Part Film
Danny Boyle Is (So Far) Only Confirmed To Direct One Of Them
28 Years Later is said to be a two-part story, which suggests that the plot will be large enough to spread across two films. This speaks to the larger scale of the movie over the more contained scope of the first film. While Garland has been tapped to write both films, Boyle has not been confirmed to direct 28 Years Later Part 2. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Boyle return to helm the second film, but this does raise the possibility that someone else could finish the story set up in the first movie.
It could be a good fit for Garland. Since 28 Days Later debuted, Garland has directed Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, and the upcoming Civil War. Having 28 Years Later be a two-part film could allow both Boyle and Garland to showcase their directorial visions of the future of the franchise. 28 Years Later Part 2 could even feature an entirely different person in the director’s chair. This could allow a unique perspective to define the next chapter in the series and potentially leave it open for future expansion and exploration with subsequent sequels.
1 28 Years Later Is Coming To Theaters With Higher Expectations
28 Years Later Has To Live Up To A Beloved Horror Classic
28 Years Later will have a massive legacy to live up to. 28 Days Later remains a benchmark of the genre and one of the best horror films of the 21st century. The influence and success of that film naturally create high expectations. On top of that, the core creatives behind the project have become far more well-known and successful in the years since 28 Days Later. The film was at the center of an intense bidding war between film studios, implying that the project has a lot of box office potential.
This is a far cry from 28 Days Later, which shook audiences partly because it felt so original and unique. It was such a breath of fresh cinematic air that it changed the genre it belongs to. 28 Years Later will have to exceed expectations to compare the impact of the first film. Luckily, the creatives behind the scenes have only grown as filmmakers since 28 Days Later. Their excitement about returning to the 28 Days Later universe they created over two decades ago sets up 28 Years Later to be a massive and exciting undertaking.
28 Years Later
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Cast
- Cillian Murphy
- Franchise(s)
- 28 Days Later
- prequel(s)
- 28 Weeks Later , 28 Days Later
