The Bone Temple Trailer Drops And Fans Can't Stop Talking About Cillian Murphy

The first trailer for '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' just dropped, and it looks like the franchise is not easing up on the bleak. This is the second film in Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's new apocalypse trilogy, but with Nia DaCosta in the director's chair this time. It hits UK cinemas January 6, 2026, with the wider rollout in January too.

So where are we picking up?

Right after the last movie. We follow Spike (Alfie Williams) and Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who have tucked themselves away on a remote island after the virus outbreak. The setup flips a core series idea: the infected are not the main problem anymore. The real horror, at least according to the official line, is what the survivors are doing to each other. Classic, but also very this franchise.

What the trailer is selling

Two threads jump out. One zeroes in on Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), whose personal life takes a turn that sounds both shocking and potentially world-altering. The other follows Jack O'Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal, whose crew is literally called the Jimmies. Yes, that name is a choice. The footage is all mood and menace, with quick first looks at returning faces and a lot of 'we are not safe even far from the virus' energy.

The story, per the official synopsis

This chapter expands on what Boyle and Garland set up in '28 Years Later' but tries to flip that world on its head. Dr Kelson ends up in a new relationship that could change everything. Meanwhile, Spike crosses paths with Jimmy Crystal, and it becomes the kind of nightmare you do not wake up from. Again, the infected are background noise compared to the inhumanity of the people left standing.

Who is in it, who is back, and what is the plan?

• Nia DaCosta directs this second entry in the new trilogy planned by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.
• Alfie Williams returns as Spike; Aaron Taylor-Johnson is back as Jamie.
• Ralph Fiennes is back as Dr Kelson, front and center in one of the film's main arcs.
• Jack O'Connell returns as Sir Jimmy Crystal, leading his gang of Jimmies.
• Cillian Murphy shows up as Jim from '28 Days Later' in a small role designed to tee up a third film. That closer is planned but not officially locked yet.
• Shot back-to-back with the previous film, with the first official trailer now out and UK cinemas set for January 6, 2026.

DaCosta is not trying to make a Boyle clone

In a chat with Rolling Stone, DaCosta made her approach pretty clear. The inside-baseball bit here: she told the producers upfront she would not be chasing Boyle's exact vibe, which is both smart and likely to rile purists.

"My big pitch when I was talking to the producers, including Danny and Alex, before I came on was, 'I'm going to make this my own. I'm not going to try to make a Danny Boyle movie.' Because that's impossible to make. He's so special. And it didn't really interest me."

She also called the film's tone basically indescribable, which, sure, but she promises it keeps that off-the-wall, surprising energy fans expect.

The bottom line

'The Bone Temple' is positioning itself as a meaner, more human monster story with two intersecting arcs: Kelson's life-tilting relationship and the rise of Jimmy Crystal's crew. The trailer is out now, and if the series really is building to a third film, Murphy's cameo seems to be the bridge. Mark January 6, 2026 in the UK. The countdown starts... again.