Director Danny Boyle is positive on the idea of a sequel or third film for 28 Days Later especially after 20 years of its initial release. According to the director, writer Alex Garland already had a script for with the title 28 Months Later. It would have followed the events of the second movie 28 Weeks Later.
In a recent interview with NME, Boyle with the first movie’s star Cillian Murphy disclosed information that may very well lead to realizing a third instalment.
Interestingly, a movie follow up to the very successful 2002 horror, sci-fi, drama flick is relatable these days more than ever. Murphy leads the movie as Jim who comes out of a coma into a virus infested London. The virus somehow renders its hosts as murderous extraordinarily fast-running zombies. Actors joining Murphy in the movie were Naomie Harris as Selena, Megan Burns as Hannah and Brendan Gleeson as Frank.
28 Days Later Sequel Could Work Even 20 Years After
Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Financially, the movie proved to be truly contagious with an $83M Worldwide Box Office record from an $8M budget. Furthermore, the movie brought critics and audiences in accord with 87% and 85% ratings, respectively. Naturally, the movie positioned itself to get a sequel. And a sequel it did get.
In 2007, 27 Weeks Later, hit the theaters and chalked in $64M Worldwide Box Office record from a $15M budget. It did not perform as well as its predecessor, but it was decent enough on the registers. With a different set of cast and crew that director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo led, the movie featured a family-centric set of survival struggles. Notably, the ratings from critics and audiences also align lower at 72% and 66% respectively.
Still, all these years the original movie aged quite well. As Murphy himself shares:
every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it. Because I showed it to my kids recently, some Halloween about four or five years ago, and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.
Even though the fact that it was twenty years since the first movie and Murphy has obviously aged since then, they toy with the idea of completing a trilogy. Boyle remembers Garland’s script for 28 Months Later with much fondness. He admits:
I’d be very tempted [to direct it]. It feels like a very good time actually. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered ‘Bang, this script!’ which is again set in England, very much about England. Anyway, we’ll see… who knows?
28 Days Later Sequel Could Work Even 20 Years After
Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Given the recent years’ trend and movie behavior, the director is convinced it could possibly the best time for a third. He continues:
It might come back into focus because one of the things that’s happening in the business at the moment is it has to be a big reason for you to go to the cinema, because there are less and less reasons. It’s hard for companies distributing films and for cinema chains to show films, they’re struggling to get people into the cinema unless it’s something like Top Gun: Maverick or a Marvel. But a third part would get people in, if it was half-decent.
Maybe 20th Century is looking to getting this done as we speak. Like what the director said: who knows?
