28 Years Later: Release date, cast and latest news

Two of the films in the new trilogy have now been shot, with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes starring in the first instalment.

The original 28 Days Later film saw Murphy play an average bicycle courier called Jim who emerged from a hospital to find London deserted and besieged by a zombie rage virus.

Despite initial rumours that he would be back for this year's film, it has now been confirmed that the character will not be seen - at least, not yet.

Boyle previously confirmed to NME in 2022 that Garland had penned a new film in the franchise with the working title 28 Months later, describing it as a "lovely idea" that is "again set in England, very much about England". However, it never materialised.

Now, the writer-director duo are reteaming on these news films, which Garland has called "very narratively ambitious", when speaking with Empire.

"Danny and I understood that," he explained. "We tried to condense it, but its natural form felt like a trilogy."

28 Years Later starts on the coastal Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, where it focuses on a small band of survivors. The island is connected to the mainland only by a causeway which the tide buries each night.

Boyle said the community is "closed and necessarily very tight", adding: "There are very strict defence laws, obviously, to survive that long in what is effectively an ongoing hostile environment. They’ve created a successful community, as they see it."

Read on for everything we know about 28 Years Later so far.

28 Years Later release date

After years of waiting on news for the 28 Days Later franchise, we now finally have a release date for 28 Years Later – 20th June 2025.

Two more films are also expected in this new trilogy, with one having been filmed back-to-back with 28 Years Later. That film, directed by Nia DaCosta, is called 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, and is scheduled to be released on 16th January 2026.

Who stars in 28 Years Later?

The currently announced stars of the film are as follows:

• Jodie Comer
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson
• Jack O'Connell
• Alfie Williams
• Ralph Fiennes
• Erin Kellyman
• Edvin Ryding

Meanwhile, behind the camera, Alex Garland will once again write the script while Danny Boyle will return to the director’s chair.

Cillian Murphy, who played Jim in 28 Days Later but was absent from 28 Weeks Later, was rumoured to be starring in the film, as he is officially signed on as an executive producer.

Upon the release of the film's trailer, many fans speculated that Murphy's character Jim has become infected since he survived the end of 28 Days Later, and appears in a shot (above). This was later confirmed not to be the case.

In fact, it has now been confirmed that Murphy won't be appearing in 28 Years Later at all, with producer Andrew Macdonald telling Empire: "[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.

"He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy."

Murphy previously said he would "love" to do a sequel, telling The Independent of a potential follow-up to 28 Days Later, while on promotional duties for Oppenheimer: "That's great to hear."

He continued: "I didn't know that – I would be there in a flash. I made two movies with both of those guys [Boyle and Garland], and I would love to work with them again. Of course, I'm there."

What will 28 Years Later be about?

The official synopsis for 28 Years Later says: "It's been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected.

"One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well."

Fiennes previously spoke with IndieWire about the film, telling the publication of the plot: "Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities.

"And it centres on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain.

"But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good."

Is there a trailer for 28 Years Later?

There is! You can watch the eerie trailer right here now.

Will there be a 28 Years Later trilogy?

There will – or at least, that is certainly the plan.

It was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter in January 2024 that Boyle and Garland were planning to launch a new trilogy in the 28 universe, with Boyle directing the first film, and Garland scripting all three.

It was later confirmed that Nia DaCosta would direct the second film, which was shot back-to-back with the first.

The third film is yet to enter production, but Boyle has confirmed he is planning to return as director, and that it will film after the first instalment has been released.

THR reported that each film would have a budget of up to $75 million range, marking the highest of the franchise to date. The first two 28 films were made for $8 and $15 million, respectively.

28 Years Later is coming to cinemas on 20th June 2025.

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