Despite being absent from the upcoming sequel, director Danny Boyle says Cillian Murphy will appear in Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
“He is in the second one,” Boyle told IGN. “I shouldn’t give away too much. I’ll get killed.”
The trailer for 28 Years Later went impossibly viral after fans were convinced that a zombie who bears a striking resemblance to Murphy was indeed Murphy’s character from 28 Days Later. This was later confirmed to be art dealer and model Angus Neill. Luckily, Murphy will return in The Bone Temple, with IGN adding that the actor will return for the third film should it receive the green light.
“Well, it’s three films, a trilogy of films which have connecting characters,” Boyle explained. “[Spike] will run right way through the films. We’ve shot the first two back-to-back, and that was for logistical reasons, actor availability reasons, and for story reasons as well. They’re literally continuous.”
28 Years Later stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, and it follows a group of survivors who live away from the infected on a remote island – and make some horrifying discoveries when they return to the mainland. The Bone Temple sees Taylor-Johnson and Comer return, this time joined by Jack O’Connell. Alex Garland wrote the screenplay for both sequels.
28 Years Later hits theaters on June 20, 2025. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to premiere on January 16, 2026. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.
