Danny Boyle’s upcoming 28 Years Later is already assembling quite the cast. According to Deadline, Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy), and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) are set to star in 28 Years Later.
There were rumblings that Jodie Comer was in talks to join the cast of 28 Years Later last month, with Charlie Hunnam also said to be in talks for a role; I imagine that could be the role that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will now play. The first installment of the 28 Years Later trilogy will be directed by Danny Boyle and scripted by Alex Garland, with production expected to kick off later this year.
It’s been over twenty years since Danny Boyle and Alex Garland brought us 28 Days Later. While the blood-thirsty characters aren’t technically zombies, the film is still credited with helping to bring the zombie genre back to life. The film was followed by 28 Weeks Later, but Boyle and Garland were only involved as executive producers. Fans have been demanding a follow-up for years, and not only is it finally happening, but we’ll be getting three movies. Exciting times.
Although Garland is expected to script each installment of the trilogy, the second movie will be helmed by someone else. It was reported last month that Nia DaCosta (Candyman) was in talks to helm the 28 Years Later sequel. While it may seem a little quick to lock down a director for the sequel before the first movie has even been shot, the plan is for production on the second movie to kick off just as soon as the first wraps.
The original movie starred Cillian Murphy as Jim, a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover that a “rage virus” has spread throughout the country, causing a total societal collapse. What this new sequel will bring remains to be seen, but Murphy has said that he’s game to return. “I was talking to Danny Boyle recently, and I said, ‘Danny, we shot the movie at the end of 2000.’ So I think we’re definitely approaching the 28 Years Later,” Murphy said last year. “But like I’ve always said, I’m up for it. I’d love to do it. If Alex [Garland] thinks there’s a script and Danny wants to do it, I’d love to do it.“