A new trailer has been released today (Tuesday, December 10) for 28 years later as fans analyze every frame looking for clues about what lies ahead for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse. The main question on the minds of movie fans is whether standout star Cillian Murphy will reappear with anyone who thinks they’ve seen his character ‘Jim’ for the first time since the franchise launched.
The cult classic ’28 Days Later’, which shot Murphy to fame portraying Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes up to a desolate London, debuted in 2002 and quickly became a hit. Directed by Danny Boyle, it has been hailed as one of the best zombie movies ever made.
Its sequel, ’28 Weeks Later’, released in 2007, introduced new characters facing the same harrowing zombie epidemic. While Boyle directed the opening scene, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took over the rest of the film.
Fast forward 17 years from the previous film, ’28 Years Later’ is set to premiere in June next year, with the plot surrounding a boy in the north of England on a quest to save his mother, the Mirror reports.
As the name suggests, the story takes place 28 years after the original events, and stars Jodie Comer from ‘Killing Eve’, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Danny Boyle is confirmed to be back in the director’s chair.
Speculation was rife as a released poster did not list Cillian Murphy, sparking debate over whether he would make an appearance. Although he is absent from 28 Weeks Later, assurances have now been made that he will indeed appear in the latest installment, albeit in a “surprising” way.
When asked about Cillian’s involvement, Tom Rothman, president of Sony Motion Pictures Group, confirmed to Deadline: “Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that is growing, let me put it this way… This is Danny (Boyle) when he’s at his best, combined with a very commercial genre, like we had with Edgar Wright and Baby Driver. Sometimes when you put a real signature director in a commercial arena, it elevates it.”
With the release of the trailer, fans believe they have now seen the Peaky Blinders star as a zombie that arises from some flowers for a split second. Viewers took to r/Movies on Reddit to discuss the trailer with excitement over the idea of Zombie Murphy.
One said: “Omg zombie Cillian Murphy!” Another added: “One second shot of Cillian Murphy gives me a bone-deep sense of dread.” But some fans scratched their heads because of the story’s implications of a zombie Jim with suggestions of a “zombie cult”.
The trailer can be seen here
28 Years Later will be released in theaters on June 20, 2025
