Danny Boyle reteams with Alex Garland for their anticipated sequel entry, 28 Years Later. The trailer alone made a mark online and our Chris Bumbray enjoyed the film despite some shortcomings. He says in his review, “This is a much more ambitious film than the original, designed to kick off a trilogy that tackles how society might rebuild itself decades after such a catastrophic event. […] I had a good time with 28 Years Later, with [Aaron Taylor] Johnson, [Jodie] Comer, and especially [Ralph] Fiennes delivering nuanced performances—though, again, [Alfie] Williams is the true star. I’ll definitely be watching 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple when it comes out next year.”
With Boyle making such an atmospheric nightmare like the original 28 Days Later and movies like Sunshine, he would seem perfect for an Alien sequel. While talking with The Hollywood Reporter, Boyle reveals that, after Trainspotting, he had the chance to direct Alien: Resurrection, but passed on it. When asked how much he considered the offer, Boyle answered,
I met Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, who were attached to it. So obviously it was pretty serious. They were wonderful. But it was the early days of the CG crossover. That moment where it was transitioning. And I couldn’t handle the CG. I was very passionate about it, because I loved the Alien idea. I just suddenly had a rare moment of clarity, thinking, ‘You are not the right guy for this.’ I went off to make A Life Less Ordinary instead. That was 20th Century folks as well. I didn’t do Alien and I went and made this flop for them instead! But it’s water under the bridge.”sponsored content
Boyle has also had a history of possibly taking a movie in the James Bond franchise and as Amazon MGM looks to try to reboot the series, THR asks Boyle if he is being considered as one of the directors for the next installment. Boyle simply says, “(Laughs.) They haven’t been banging at my door.”
The 28 Years Later director recently revealed that he and Alex Garland originally had plans for a trilogy for their film Sunshine. “So, originally, when we were doing it, Alex [Garland] wrote two other parts. It was supposed to be a trilogy,” Boyle said. “It was a planetary trilogy. It was to do with the sun itself, with two other stories. What’s interesting is Alex has a natural instinct as a storyteller to want to tell these expanding stories, and that is why 28 Years Later wound up as a trilogy.“ Boyle added that Garland only wrote an outline of the sequels, but he can’t remember it in enough detail. Although he did tease that “there was an extraordinary idea in one of them,” but declined to share it as Garland may still use it in a future project.
