This week brought us our very first look at 28 Years Later with the release of the official trailer for the upcoming sequel to Danny Boyle’s hit horror 28 Days Later, with one particular shot from the sneak peek certainly getting fans talking.
Appearing briefly in the trailer for the upcoming film – the first in a new trilogy of sequels – was a shot of an emancipated zombie/Rage Virus victim bearing a striking resemblance to Cillian Murphy, the star of 28 Days Later, seemingly confirming the fate of his character Jim from the original film. However, if you were left scratching your head as to why they’d drop such a big spoiler in the trailer, then fear not as The Guardian has revealed that the infected character in question is not the Oscar-winning actor, but rather newcomer Angus Neill.
“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role,” Neill told The Guardian. “So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part. On set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”
Murphy is involved with 28 Years Later as an executive producer and is also expected to return on screen, but it seems we’ll have to wait to see how his character factors into this new trilogy of films.
“Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award®-nominated writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later, a terrifying new story set in the world created by 28 Days Later. It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”
28 Years Later is directed by Danny Boyle from a script by Alex Garland, and stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Erin Kellyman, and Jack O’Connell.
28 Years Later is set for release on June 20th 2025.