Screenshot: Fox Searchlight Pictures
It’s the horror sequel we didn’t realize we were waiting for, and now demand ASAP: 28 Years Later, a continuation of the post-apocalyptic zombie tale started in 2002’s 28 Days Later and further explored in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. And this time, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are coming back.
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The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, with the added tidbit that 28 Years Later might just be the first of a new trilogy of sequels. So far this is a very early-stages project; as the trade notes, the “new zombie thriller … is expected to hit studios, streamers and other potential buyers later this week, according to multiple sources.” Boyle and Garland worked together as director and writer on the 2002 film, which starred Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy, but stepped back to be executive producers on the 2007 sequel. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who has Millie Bobby Brown’s Netflix fantasy Damsel coming up in March, directed 28 Weeks Later, which took place in the same world as its predecessor but followed a new story and group of characters.
But Boyle (who won a Best Director Oscar in 2008 for Slumdog Millionaire, also that year’s Best Picture) and Garland (now an acclaimed director as well as a writer, having made Ex Machina, Annihilation, and the upcoming Civil War; he also created FX on Hulu series Devs) are bringing their elevated star power to 28 Years Later and its subsequent installments. According to THR, Boyle is slated to direct the first film, with Garland scripting all three, and “the budget for each movie would be in the $75 million range.”
So far there’s no word on what the story might be, or who might star— Murphy’s Jim, Naomie Harris’ Selena, Megan Burns’ Hannah all survived the events of 28 Days Later—but surely we’ll hear more as this project takes shape. Are you excited to pick back up with 28 Days Later? Any guesses how they’ll work time increments of “28″ into the titles of the other films?
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