Spoilers for the 28 Years Later trilogy are below.
Summary
Fans waited nearly two decades for28 Years Laterto finally come to fruition. Luckily for horror aficionados everywhere, the new film is simply the first in a planned28 Years Latertrilogy, and star Ralph Fiennes has leaked some details about its upcoming sequel.
It is hard to overstate how big of a deal28 Days Laterwas upon release in 2002.The inventive zombie filmfeatured a who’s who of English and Irish actors, including Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, and Christopher Eccleston. It resolidifiedTrainspottingdirector Danny Boyle as one of the most exciting directors working, two years afterThe Beachwas released to less-than-stellar reviews.28 Days Lateralso had full sequences shot on a Canon XL1 DV camera when shooting on film was still the industry standard. It revitalized an entire genre on a scant budget of $8 million. For instance, there is almost no way The Walking Dead andThe Last of Usexist without28 Days Later.
Since28 Years Laterfinally released this weekend, Ralph Fiennes has been completing his requisite press requirements, andEntertainment Weeklygot him to spill a bit about its 2026 sequel,28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The beloved actor relented after being asked to provide some early details, and he highlighted a scene about an infected woman giving birth to a non-infected baby on a train.“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,“Fiennes said.
“The ultimate human moment is an infected woman who is giving birth to a baby who is not infected. The theme of innate humanity — is it still alive in the soul, in the heart, in the mind of an infected person? Are they completely corrupted? Are they only rabid? Or is there the possibility of something? Something human, it’s still there.“He also elaborated on the intense violence seen in the films.“We carry in us the potential for terrible destruction and pain. That theme is picked up very strongly in the next film.”
Ralph Fiennes Spoiled A Scene From The Upcoming28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
It seems clear that28 Years Later: The Bone Templewill continue the series trend of utilizing the structure of the zombie genre todelve into heady themes about humanity. Given thatThe Bone Templeis written by the series screenwriter andEx Machinadirector Alex Garland, this is entirely unsurprising.The Bone Templeis set to star Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes from the first28 Years Laterfilm, with Cillian Murphy returning to the franchise all these years after28 Days Later.
The Bone Templewill also starSinnersbreakout Jack O’Connellin yet another villainous role that is sure to earn even more plaudits for the English actor. Unlike28 Years Later,The Bone Templewill be directed by Nia DaCosta, best known for helmingCandymanandThe Marvels. A third28 Years Laterfilm is set to be led by Danny Boyle, but its exsistence surely depends on the box office returns for these first two films.
