28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — Cast, Plot, Release Date, Budget, and Must-Know Details
The 28 Days Later franchise jolts back to life with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a lean 109-minute horror sci-fi thriller from Nia DaCosta starring Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, Chi Lewis-Parry, Erin Kellyman and Jack O’Connell, sprinting into US theaters January 16, 2026.
Here we go again. After waiting ages for a new 28 Days Later entry, the team turned around the second chapter of the new trilogy fast. 28 Years Later hit in 2025 and now 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is up next, shot back-to-back and landing next month. Yes, that title is a choice. But with Nia DaCosta directing and the last film actually delivering, I’m not mad at the quick turnaround.
Quick rundown
- Title: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Release: UK on Jan 14, 2026; US on Jan 16, 2026; global rollout after
- Director: Nia DaCosta
- Genre: Horror, sci-fi, thriller
- Runtime: 109 minutes
- Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Dr. Ian Kelson), Alfie Williams (Spike), Jack O'Connell (Jimmy Crystal), Chi Lewis-Parry (Samson), Erin Kellyman, and Cillian Murphy returning as Jim
- Franchise numbers so far: - 28 Days Later (2003): Rotten Tomatoes 87% critics | 85% audience; $82M box office - 28 Weeks Later (2007): 73% | 66%; $64M - 28 Years Later (2025): 89% | 63%; $150M
What The Bone Temple is actually about
This one picks up directly after 28 Years Later. If you remember the end of that movie with Spike crossing paths with Jimmy Crystal’s zealots, that wasn’t a tease for nothing. The infected are no longer the main problem. The living are. Expect a lot about faith, survival, and people doing worse things than any virus ever did. And yes, Jimmy’s followers have a name: Jimmies. Subtle? No. Effective? Probably.
Ralph Fiennes says the sequel leans into the human-violence thread that the last film set up, especially around one very intense scene:
'I can say that the themes that we touched on in the scene on the train, the moment of labor, the humanity - it is a critical moment in the life of a mother and child... We carry in us the potential for terrible destruction and pain. That theme is picked up very strongly in the next film.'
Who is back (and how much)
Most of the 2025 players return: Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson, Alfie Williams as Spike, Jack O'Connell as the cult leader Jimmy Crystal, Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson, and Erin Kellyman. The big headline is Cillian Murphy, who sat out the last movie, popping back in as Jim. But temper expectations: Murphy told The Observer he is 'only in it for a little bit.' The plan, though, is for that cameo to set him up as a central piece of the trilogy capper, which Sony has already greenlit with Alex Garland writing.
Why this one arrived so fast
Sony shot The Bone Temple right after 28 Years Later, which studios rarely do when reviving a franchise. Given the strong reviews and the $150M haul for the 2025 film, it looks like the right call. Momentum matters, and the interest is high.
Money talk and expectations
No official budget yet, but the first film in Danny Boyle’s new trilogy reportedly cost around $60M, so expect a similar range here. With the cliffhanger ending last time and the goodwill it built, the sequel is set up nicely at the box office. Early reactions have been promising too.
Odds and ends
If you’re the type who watches trailers on repeat, you’re covered: the trailer is out there and easy to find. And yes, Bone Temple is the direct follow-up, not a side story, so it should answer the immediate questions left hanging from 28 Years Later.
Bottom line: back-to-back production, a sharper focus on human monsters, and a brief Jim sighting setting up the finale. If the last movie worked for you, this looks like more of the same, in a good way.