With movies like Backrooms, Obsession, and Resident Evil dominating headlines and exceeding box office expectations, 2026 has been a tremendous comeback year for horror. Still, while fresh faces like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker are the talk of the town, seasoned masters like Danny Boyle remain firmly part of the conversation as cinephiles eagerly anticipate the next chapter in the 28 Years Later trilogy.
Alex Garland Has Already Penned the Finale
During a recent interview on Deadline Contenders, Boyle offered an encouraging update on the upcoming installment of his post-apocalyptic saga. When asked if he could offer any insight into the new chapter, Boyle replied, “Yeah, there is a plan for a third part of 28 Years Later. Alex [Garland] has written a fantastic script. We just need to raise the money for the movie.”
Cillian Murphy Is Ready to Finish What He Started
Boyle also touched on whether Cillian Murphy—who played Jim, one of the iconic survivors of the Rage virus outbreak in 2002’s 28 Days Later—would finally return in full capacity for the project. Without hesitation, Boyle confirmed, “He’s up for it. It’s a fantastic part. You all saw The Bone Temple; he’s teased at the end of that. The third film does complete that story in a beautiful, mathematically beautiful way.”
Bringing the Rage Virus Saga Full Circle
Considering how the franchise completely reinvented zombie cinema over two decades ago, the prospect of bringing Murphy back into the fold to close out this new trilogy is massive news for genre fans. When Boyle and Garland first unleashed 28 Days Later in 2002, its gritty, digital-video aesthetic and terrifyingly fast-moving infected breathed fresh, visceral life into a subgenre that had grown stale, spawning Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later before the franchise lay dormant on the big screen for nearly 18 years. Reclaiming the reins with 2025’s 28 Years Later and Nia DaCosta’s follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Boyle and Garland proved there was still plenty of gasoline left in the tank. Now, assuming the financing falls into place quickly, fans won’t have to wait nearly as long to see Jim’s journey reach its full-circle conclusion.
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