Danny Boyle Reveals What’s Standing Between ’28 Years Later’ and Its Finale

When Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunited for ’28 Years Later’, the plan was always bigger than a single film. The package was shopped to potential buyers as a new trilogy built on the world of the 2002 original and its 2007 sequel. That ambition has since run into a very real-world obstacle.

’28 Years Later’ opened to $30 million in June, one of the top horror openings in a year flooded with them. Even so, despite critical acclaim, the first 2 films didn’t fare well at the box office, leaving the fate of a third installment up in the air. Nia DaCosta took over the director’s chair for ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.

Now Boyle has offered the clearest picture yet of where things stand, and fans may not love it. Speaking at the London Film Festival, Boyle told Deadline that the project is “on the back burner at the moment.” He stressed that he hopes the film gets made if the money comes together.

The sticking point is funding, and Boyle was blunt about it. He revealed on stage that the team has not yet finalized financing for the planned third movie, the fifth film in the wider series. According to the Deadline report that DiscussingFilm highlighted, the filmmakers essentially need to raise the money themselves to make it happen.

The script, at least, doesn’t seem to be the problem. As Boyle put it, “Alex Garland has written a fantastic script.” Despite being teased in the closing scenes of ‘The Bone Temple’, the director said the film was currently not a priority.

Garland’s schedule is part of the pause as well. Boyle explained that Garland has been off doing his own film, which is a big project. One report says Garland is busy making ‘Elden Ring’.

The update lands as a notable shift in tone. Just a week earlier, Boyle had sounded confident that the third film would happen. In a separate interview, he said the film would be made because people keep asking about it, though he wasn’t sure when, per Variety.

Cillian Murphy remains the big draw for what comes next. Murphy, who reprises his role in ‘The Bone Temple’, has been in talks to return, and he serves as an executive producer on both recent films. Sony had been developing the third installment with Garland writing and Boyle attached to direct, but there have been no updates since the release of ‘The Bone Temple’.

There was also a more optimistic timeline floating around earlier in the year. In May, Boyle said he hoped to begin filming in 2027. That target now looks far less certain.

For fans of the franchise, the situation is a familiar one in modern Hollywood, where a finished script and a beloved star don’t guarantee a greenlight. Whether the ’28 Years Later’ team can find the funding, or whether Sony steps in with a bigger commitment, remains to be seen. For now, the Rage virus will have to wait.