It’s the Booze Talkin: Give us a second sequel to 28 DAYS LATER!

Danny Boyle was already on my list as one of the most exciting young directors working in Hollywood by the time 28 DAYS LATER… took hold of horror fans. While the modern genre classic arrived in 2002, Boyle had already given us the incredible SHALLOW GRAVE (1994) and TRAINSPOTTING (1996) to prove his merits. Up until then, you would have never believed the guy who introduced us to Ewan McGregor and sent Leonardo DiCaprio to THE BEACH would have such an impressive grasp on scaring the crap out of people. Yet he did, this intriguing take on a group of human beings turning into flesh eating monsters resonated with audiences and continued to prove what a talented director he was.

Not only did Boyle give us an exciting and unique take on a killer virus flick, he also introduced us to an incredible cast. It wasn’t his first film, but it certainly put Cillian Murphy on the map as one of the most exciting actors working today. SHALLOW GRAVE star Christopher Eccleston also showed up giving yet another fantastic performance. You also had the amazing Naomie Harris and Brendon Gleason, both giving the film yet another level of class. If you are going to believe and care about a bunch of survivors of a worldwide sickness, you’d best give us relatable characters or your story just won’t work… this one did.

While Danny Boyle enjoyed the success of his first foray into horror, he did not return to direct 28 WEEKS LATER. Thankfully, he remained on board as producer for the follow-up. More importantly, writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo did a wonderful job of bringing back the dreaded “rage virus” to terrify audiences. The exciting sequel also gave us a fine cast with Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Catherine McCormack, TRAINSPOTTING vet Robert Carlyle and even Idris Elba. With a sequel this good, it was a no brainer to see what has happened 28 months or even years later.

Since then, as you’d expect, we’ve heard many rumors and possibilities of a third film in the series. In 2012, Alex Garland reportedly said that there was no word on another feature. And then, in 2015, Danny Boyle expressed interest in returning to direct. Since then, the filmmaker did take on one sequel, and that was the recent T2 TRAINSPOTTING. As much as I loved the original, and really was excited to see the return of Renton and Spud, I’m far more curious what he could bring back to a genre sequel. And while 28 MONTHS has come and gone since 2002, I’d love to see what has happened to the world since the rage turned your neighbors into cannibalistic crazies.

Over the past few years, zombies have become far more popular than I would have ever imagined. We all still adore George Romero’s universe, and The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead are still immensely popular. And while the 28 franchise isn’t a story about zombies – more infected/virus type of thing – it could still easily find an audience today. Both of the previous films are well regarded, and if Boyle and company are still interested in a little gory goodness and suspense, it would be a waste to not make another film. The beauty of a story like this, you can find a number of avenues to explore and characters to follow. Either way, with the right script, I am certain that audiences would respond to a third film.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but give us a second sequel to 28 DAYS LATER…! Danny Boyle’s terrifying virus flick (because you can’t techincally call it a zombie flick) was a low budget masterwork. And frankly, the follow-up came pretty close to the thrills of the first – some may say it exceeded it. Either way, you have an incredible set up for either 28 MONTHS LATER or even 28 YEARS LATER. And in these crazy times where we hear about scary diseases that can eat away at our flesh, I’m fairly sure that a third film would be successful if done right. And if Danny Boyle steps in to direct once again, I will be the first in line. So come on now, bring on the RAGE!