28 Years Later | |
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Directed by | Danny Boyle |
Written by | Alex Garland |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Anthony Dod Mantle |
Edited by | Jon Harris |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $75 million [1] [2] |
28 Years Later is an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film produced and directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The third in the 28 Days Later film series, following 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007), it stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. The film marks the returns of Boyle, Garland, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle to the series, all of whom worked on the original 28 Days Later film, with that film's star Cillian Murphy also serving as an executive producer.
It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom and the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on 20 June 2025. It was shot back-to-back with its sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple which was directed by Nia DaCosta, written by Garland, and produced by Boyle and Garland. [3]
28 years after the Rage Virus escaped a medical research laboratory, survivors have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When a father and his son leave the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, they discover secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. [4]
In June 2007, Fox Atomic confirmed development on a third 28 Days Later film, dependent upon the financial performance of 28 Weeks Later following its home video release. [5] In July of the same year, Danny Boyle said that the story for a third installment had been mapped out. [6] By October 2010, Alex Garland stated that due to differences involving the film rights, the project had been delayed. [7] In January 2011, Boyle stated that he believed the project would be realised, confirming further developments for the story. [8] By April 2013, however, the filmmaker expressed uncertainty as to whether the movie would be made. [9] In January 2015, Garland addressed the project's status, confirming that while it had fallen into development hell there were serious discussions going on behind the scenes to produce the project. Reiterating that development was progressing, he stated that the script he was working on would tentatively be titled 28 Months Later. [10] In June 2019, Boyle confirmed that he and Garland had been working on the third installment. [11] In March 2020, Imogen Poots expressed interest in reprising her role from the second film, [12] followed by Cillian Murphy in May 2021. [13]
In November 2022, Boyle, Garland and actor Murphy all indicated their interest in making a sequel to 28 Days Later. [14] In June 2023, Boyle and Garland expressed in collaboration their intentions to "seriously" and "diligently" see the project enter production; while announcing that the script was now titled 28 Years Later, acknowledging the years it had taken to be developed. Boyle stated that he would like to serve as director, unless Garland chooses to. [15] By July of the same year, Murphy stated that he had recently discussed the possibility of a third film with Boyle; once again expressing interest in reprising his role if Boyle and Garland return to the franchise in their creative roles. [16]
In January 2024, it was announced that a third film titled 28 Years Later was officially in development; with plans for the project to be the first of a new trilogy of sequels. Danny Boyle will direct the first installment, with a script written by Alex Garland; while the latter will also write the scripts for each of planned sequels. Boyle, Garland, Andrew Macdonald, and Peter Rice will serve as producers. [17] [18] In February of the same year, Murphy discussed his potential involvement with the project; that same month, MacDonald had bought back the rights to the first film from Searchlight Pictures, promptly selling it to Sony Pictures for future distribution, as well as rights to future sequels. [a] [19] [20] [21] In March 2024, Garland confirmed that he is writing a trilogy of sequel films. [22] The following month, the writer stated that the film Kes was a major influence on his work for 28 Years Later. [23] Murphy was revealed as an executive producer later that month. [24]
The film was produced by Columbia Pictures [25] in association with the British Film Institute, Decibel Films, and DNA Films.
In April, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes were cast to star, [26] with Jack O'Connell joining the cast in May. [27] It was initially reported that Murphy would reprise his role as Jim, [28] [29] but in January 2025 the film's producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed he would not appear, though he remains an executive producer. [30] Erin Kellyman was added to the cast in June. [31]
Principal photography began on 7 May 2024, in Northumberland, [32] [33] with Anthony Dod Mantle serving as the cinematographer. [34] Filming wrapped on 29 July. [35] Parts of the film were shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max with the aid of numerous specialised attachments, [36] in addition to drones, other digital cameras and film cameras. [37]
Filming mainly took place in the north of England, in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber regions. Locations include Holy Island (Lindisfarne) off the Northumberland Coast, Hexham, Bellingham, Kielder Forest, Rothbury (Northumberland), Newcastle upon Tyne (Tyne and Wear), Waskerley (County Durham), Melsonby, Ripon, Fountains Abbey, Aysgarth Falls, Redmire (North Yorkshire) and Bradford (West Yorkshire). [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] Some scenes were filmed at Plankey Mill Farm, near Langley and Bardon Mill (Northumberland). [39] In addition, some filming took place in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset in South West England. [43]
28 Years Later is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Releasing on 20 June 2025. [44]
The first trailer was released on 10 December 2024. It features the 1903 poem "Boots" by Rudyard Kipling, recited by American actor Taylor Holmes in 1915. The trailer became #1 trending on YouTube, and in 48 hours had over 10 million views. Stuart Heritage, the film critic for The Guardian , particularly noted the use of Holmes's spoken-word recording of "Boots" and commented "As of now, though, it's just about the most exciting film of 2025. And this is entirely down to its trailer." [45] [46] The trailer's viral success lead to Sony's decision to re-release the original 28 Days Later film on digital platforms on 18 December 2024, two years after it had been made unavailable by its former distributor Disney. [47]
In April 2024, Nia DaCosta was reportedly in negotiations to direct a sequel to the film, the second part of a planned trilogy, with Boyle, Garland, Macdonald, Rice, and Bernie Bellew attached as producers. [48] In June 2024, via a copyright filing, the title of the film was seemingly revealed to be 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. [49] [50]
On 18 August 2024, during a talk at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Macdonald confirmed DaCosta would be directing the sequel and said that principal photography was set to begin the following day. Macdonald also talked about potential plans for a third 28 Years Later film, saying "we hope there is going to be a third part" and "there is a trilogy". [3]
Daniel Francis Boyle is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996) and its sequel T2 Trainspotting (2017), The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 127 Hours (2010), Steve Jobs (2015), and Yesterday (2019).
28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson appear in supporting roles.
Alexander Medawar Garland is an English author, screenwriter, and director. He rose to prominence with his novel The Beach (1996). He received praise for writing the Danny Boyle films 28 Days Later (2002) and Sunshine (2007), as well as Never Let Me Go (2010) and Dredd (2012). In video games, he co-wrote Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (2010) and was a story supervisor on DmC: Devil May Cry (2013).
Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor. His works encompass both stage and screen, and his accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Taylor Holmes was an American actor who appeared in over 100 Broadway plays in his five-decade career. However, he is probably best remembered for his screen performances, which he began on silent films in 1917.
John Murphy is an English film composer. He is a self-taught multi-instrumental musician who began his career in the 1980s, working with fellow Liverpool-natives The Lotus Eaters and Thomas Lang, as well as Claudia Brücken. His early film score career saw him work David Hughes from the electronic group OMD, and he has collaborated with directors Danny Boyle, Guy Ritchie, Michael Mann, Matthew Vaughn, Stephen Frears, and James Gunn.
Sunshine is a 2007 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. Starring an ensemble cast featuring Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Chipo Chung, and Mark Strong, the film takes place in the year 2057, where a group of astronauts aboard the Icarus II are sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun.
28 Weeks Later is a 2007 post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rowan Joffé, Enrique López Lavigne and Jesus Olmo. It serves as a standalone sequel to 28 Days Later (2002), and is the second installment overall in the film series of the same name. The movie stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, and Idris Elba. It is set after the events of the first film, depicting the efforts of NATO military forces to salvage a safe zone in London, the consequence of two young siblings breaking protocol to find a photograph of their mother, and the resulting reintroduction of the Rage Virus into the safe zone.
John Crowley is an Irish film and theatre director. He is best known for the films Brooklyn (2015) and his debut feature, Intermission (2003), for which he won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Director. He is a brother of the designer Bob Crowley.
Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson is an English actor. He is known for his portrayal of the title character in Kick-Ass (2010) and its 2013 sequel, as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe character Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Peter Rice is a British producer and media executive. He is the former chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content for The Walt Disney Company and former president of 21st Century Fox, where he worked from 1989-2019.
Andrew Imre Flint Macdonald is a Scottish film producer, best known for his collaborations with screenwriter John Hodge and director Danny Boyle, and writer-director Alex Garland.
T2 Trainspotting is a 2017 British black comedy-drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland, it is based on characters created by Irvine Welsh in his 1993 novel Trainspotting and its 2002 follow-up Porno. A sequel to Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting, T2 stars the original ensemble cast, including leads Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle, with Shirley Henderson, James Cosmo, and Kelly Macdonald. The film features a new character, Veronika, played by Anjela Nedyalkova, and includes clips, music, and archive sound from the first film.
Jodie Marie Comer is an English actress of screen and stage. She began her career in an episode of The Royal Today in 2008. Comer gained recognition for appearing in the series My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015) and Doctor Foster (2015–2017), and starred in the drama miniseries Thirteen (2016). From 2018 to 2022, Comer played sociopathic assassin Villanelle in the BBC America spy thriller television series Killing Eve, winning a BAFTA Television Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. For playing Sarah, a healthcare assistant, in the television film Help (2021), she won another BAFTA Television Award.
"Boots" is a poem by English author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). It was first published in 1903, in his collection The Five Nations.
Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 American adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film is the fourth installment in the Jumanji film series and the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain and Madison Iseman reprise their roles from the previous film while Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito join the cast. The film's plot takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji once again. There, they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while having to save the land from a new villain to escape.
Yesterday is a 2019 jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis based on a story by Jack Barth and Curtis. Himesh Patel stars as struggling musician Jack Malik, who suddenly finds himself as the only person who remembers the Beatles and becomes famous for performing their songs. The film also stars Michael Kiwanuka, Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, and Kate McKinnon.
Lars Edvin Folke Ryding is a Swedish actor. He became known internationally with the leading role in the Netflix teen drama series Young Royals (2021–2024), where he played the character Prince Wilhelm.
The 28 Days Later series consists of post-apocalyptic horror films, based on a concept conceived by Alex Garland. The series includes two released films, while multiple sequels are in various stages of development. The plot follows the scientific developments of a pathogenic-disease known as the Rage Virus which is intended for chemical warfare, and its rapid effects on the world population after its unintentional release from laboratories. The series follows various survivors, as they fight to escape contaminated areas and reach designated safe zones, while they attempt to stay ahead of the masses of infected people around them.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland. It will be the sequel to 28 Years Later (2025) and the fourth film in the 28 Days Later film series.
Watch this space.
Despite early reports that the whole film was shot on iPhone, Macdonald clarifies they were only "part of a toolkit" that also included drones, other digital cameras, and film cameras."