Cillian Murphy Reignites Hope for a 28 Days Later Sequel (But There's a Twist)
Are you up for 28 Years Later? Because Murphy is.
Long before he portrayed the man who created the potential cause of a global apocalyptic event (we're talking about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb, of course), Cillian Murphy starred in the 2002 post-apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later, written by Alex Garland and directed by Danny Boyle.
28 Days Later tells the gripping story of Murphy's Jim and his fellow survivors trying to stay alive in a world ravaged by a virus that turns people into zombies. The modest $8-million budget didn't stop the movie from becoming a huge box-office success and garnering a massive following. And after COVID hit the planet, 28 Days Later returned to the public's radar, and talk of a sequel has been circulating in fan discussions ever since.
Of course, the sequel would not be possible without its leading man, and luckily for all fans of the post-apocalyptic genre, Cillian Murphy is willing to reprise his role on one condition — the iconic original creators must be on board.
'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. But like I've always said, I'm up for it,' the actor told Collider while promoting Oppenheimer. 'I'd love to do it. If Alex [Garland] thinks there's a script in it and Danny wants to do it, I'd love to do it.'
The reason Murphy even mentions Garland and Boyle is probably because 28 Days Later already had a sequel in 2007, made by the same production companies but by different creators. Failing to reach the success of the original, 28 Weeks Later was criticised by Garland himself.
And it looks like Murphy and millions of fans may be getting their wish, as both Boyle and Garland recently confirmed to Inverse that they are discussing an idea for 28 Years Later.
'[We're] talking about it quite seriously, quite diligently. If [Alex Garland] doesn't want to direct it himself I'll be well up for it if we can execute a similarly good idea,' Boyle said.
All three key players are on board, and this can only mean that the new post-apocalyptic masterpiece is coming. Hopefully, we won't have to literally wait until 2028 to see it.