Cillian Murphy, previously seen as Jim in the original ‘28 Days Later,’ joined the upcoming sequel ‘28 Years Later’ as an executive producer. Although the crew confirmed he won’t be appearing in this film, producer, Andrew Macdonald didn’t close the door on his potential return in future sequels.
“[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved,” Macdonald recently told Empire. “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.”
Rumors said Murphy would reprise his role as Jim ever since ‘28 Years Later’ was announced. The film’s trailer fueled them in recent months because a skeletal figure in it looked a lot like the actor. Later, the team shut down all talks, confirming British art dealer and model Angus Neill as the ‘zombie.’
“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role,” Neill shared with The Guardian. “So, we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part. On the set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotize you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”
‘28 Years Later’ picks up nearly three decades after a ‘rage virus’ outbreak from a lab. A new mission to the mainland exposes terrifying mutations in both the infected and the uninfected.
The film series plans to continue with two additional sequels. The next one, ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ is due for release on January 16, 2026, with Nia DaCosta directing and Alex Garland writing the screenplay.
