Danny Boyle Insists the Third ‘Years Later’ Movie Will Happen, and Cillian Murphy Will Be Front and Center
Few franchises have had as strange a journey as the one that began with Danny Boyle’s ‘28 Days Later‘. It spawned a 2007 sequel without Boyle or Alex Garland, then roared back last year when the duo returned for ’28 Years Later’, which opened to $30 million on June 20 and grossed $151 million worldwide.
Boyle and Garland always envisioned the new chapter as a trilogy. Sony shot the first two films back to back, with Boyle directing the first and Nia DaCosta directing ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, and only then moved to greenlight the third.
But things got complicated. ‘The Bone Temple’ arrived in January to critical acclaim, becoming the best-reviewed film in the series, yet it grossed only about $58 million worldwide against a $63 million budget. That cast doubt on whether the third film would ever happen, and now Boyle has weighed in on the future of the ’28 Years Later’ sequel.
Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, where he presented his upcoming Rupert Murdoch movie ‘Ink’, Boyle told Variety that the third film will get made because people keep asking about it. He admitted he is not sure when, but said there is “a very good script by Alex Garland.”
He also promised a lot of Cillian Murphy, joking about whether the Oscar winner would still go as far as he did in the original film. The comments come with no update on production timing or a final title.
The comments matter because of how quiet things had been. ‘The Bone Temple’ scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, beating the 88% of its predecessor, but its box office was just over a third of the first film’s.
DaCosta has said publicly that she is proud of the movie and believes it may have come out too soon, with audiences thinking they had already seen the film last summer. She noted that the usual industry barometers of quality were through the roof, but the box office did not follow.
Collider reported in February that the film dropped out of the top 10 at the domestic box office, deepening the doubts about the trilogy’s finale.
The first trailer for ‘28 YEARS LATER’ has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 10, 2024
In theaters on June 20, 2025. pic.twitter.com/6w5eTgTLQb
Sony had already moved forward on the third film before ‘The Bone Temple’ even opened. In December 2025, Deadline reported that the studio was proceeding after positive fan reactions to early screenings, with Garland writing and Murphy in talks to return.
Sony has not made an official confirmation since the sequel’s poor showing, and Boyle said last year that Sony’s decision on the budget would determine when the film can move ahead. That makes his latest comments more of a filmmaker’s assurance than a studio green light.
Murphy is central to the plan. He returned as Jim, the protagonist of ’28 Days Later’, in ‘The Bone Temple’, his first time reprising the role since the original film, and he serves as an executive producer on both new films.
Boyle has said in interviews that he would like to direct the third film himself, and it looks hopeful that he will. The first film’s cast included Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes.
Fans have been searching for signs of life. Even an Instagram post of young star Alfie Williams back in archery training earlier this year did not entirely calm fears, since the film’s box office disappointment threatened to end the trilogy before its final chapter.
Boyle’s comments are the most encouraging update in months. They do not answer the question of timing, but they make clear that the script exists and that the director still wants to finish the story.
At the same festival, Boyle also weighed in on the ongoing James Bond casting rumors. He said Jack O’Connell, who stars in his ‘Ink’, should be cast as the next 007, praising the actor’s talent.
Boyle left ‘No Time to Die’ reportedly due to creative differences, and he said the story he developed with John Hodge was lost when producers lost confidence in it.
Are you excited for the third 28 Years Later movie with Cillian Murphy front and center?
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