Danny Boyle: Covid pandemic had ‘inevitable' influence on new film 28 Years Later
Danny Boyle says it was inevitable the Covid -19 pandemic would shape his latest film, 28 Years Later, which premiered in London on Wednesday (18 June).
The post-apocalyptic horror, directed by Boyle, is a direct sequel to 28 Days Later (2002), set nearly 30 years after the rage virus outbreak. It stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes.
'Even if you're not intentionally including it in a specific way, it definitely influences what you are doing, and some of the behaviour patterns,' Boyle told The Independent.
'It's inevitable, really, because of what we all went through,' he said.
'The way we all reacted to Covid initially… We all hid and put masks on and gloves and disinfected everything. You can't live like that for very long.'
He likened the pandemic to the film, adding, 'After 28 years, you would take enormous risks, you know, because you think you could.'
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BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
28 Years Later: Danny Boyle and Jodie Comer on Covid, horror and the real-world rage virus
When 28 Days Later hit screens in 2002, it unleashed a new tangible sense of everyday terror, as Cillian Murphy stumbled around London's chillingly deserted streets and landmarks, emptied by a zombie virus March 2020, the dystopian nightmare became reality when the Covid pandemic transformed the capital into a ghost town. Whereas Murphy's character saw Oxford Street awash with "missing" posters, today a memorial wall stands opposite Parliament to commemorate the 200,000 UK is in this ever-changed climate that original director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland have returned to their virus-filled world with 28 Years to BBC News, Boyle says that for audiences, going through a sudden life-threatening transformation - even without zombies - has intensified the terror, because "what we used to think only belonged in movies" now "feels more possible".But it is the way we adapted to Covid, and learned to live within the confines of an unstable, vulnerable reality, that he says is central to the new film. Life after survival In this latest chapter, the "infected" - victims of the lab-leaked Rage Virus, last shown reaching Europe at the end of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later - have been pushed back and re-confined to British the rest of the world heals, Britain's remaining survivors have been left to fend for them is 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), who lives with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and housebound mother Isla (Jodie Comer) on Holy Island, off England's north-east coast. He's only ever known a feudal life in this 150-strong sanctuary, connected to the quarantined mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway that's only accessible at low tide. Now the gap between adults and children isn't just generational - it's divided between those who remember life pre-outbreak and those born post-virus. The needs-must attitude sees Jamie take Spike on a rite of passage hunt on the mainland for his 12th as humanity appears to have adapted, so too have the infected - who are now more evolved. Some crawl, while others have become Alphas, leading fast-running packs. The Rage Virus, it seems, never quietened - it grew."Gradually, you start to take more risks - you start to explore just how far you can go and still stay safe," Boyle says of the film's Covid parallels. "That's unimaginable 28 days after the infection. But 28 years after the infection, those are the kinds of risks they take." Hard truths Boyle says the decision to have a young lead character was intentional, not only because "horror loves innocence", but also to explore the truths adults choose to tell children - and hide from them - in order to keep emotional tension is something Comer can relate to, on and off screen."I've felt it with my own parents," she says, speaking to me beside Boyle. "When they've tried to protect me from something, thinking it was better not to worry me. But there have been moments where I've thought, I really wish you'd shared that with me because I might have done something differently... or had more time with someone. But ultimately, it's always coming from a place of love." It's a trait shared by her character, Isla. As mother to Spike, Isla is clearly sick but still desperately trying to care for him, even while slipping in and out of lucidity - apparently ravaged with confusion from decades under siege. But the reality is more complex. Zombie nation Comer is no stranger to crisis storylines. She played the mother of a newborn facing an apocalyptic flood in The End We Start From, and a care home nurse in Covid drama Help! But 28 Years Later marks her first portrayal of someone so deep into post-apocalyptic also her first time facing zombies. So what's it like being chased by the infected? "Thrilling," she scenes were grounded in the film's gritty realism. No CGI or green screen was used, with the "infected" actors sometimes spending hours in the make-up chair."These performers, they aren't taking the pace off," she says with a laugh. "There are moments that feel incredibly heightened - you're out of breath, facing elements of hysteria - but it's brilliant."Isla goes from debilitation to windows of composure: helping to deliver a baby or seeing off one of the infected with muscle memory precision that shows a glimpse of her admits that navigating the emotional "ebbs and flows" of Isla's awareness was the most difficult aspect of the role. Boyle's films - from Trainspotting to the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire - have always explored social truths. For him, the subtlety of Isla's relationship with Spike is important, as she helps the boy understand there's more to life than what the director calls "aggressive manhood"."There are different ways of progressing," Boyle says. "And he learns that, I think. He's able to step out into the world more fully armed than what just bows and arrows gives him."Comer adds: "There's an essence of hope through him and his curiosity."Boyle sees this film as the first of a trilogy, with Spike potentially appearing in all second film, already shot by director Nia DaCosta, with Garland again writing, is due for release next year. Boyle plans to return for the third film, if it's green-lit. Real-world rage virus When I ask Boyle why, as a director of many genres, he's returning to horror so ambitiously, especially with the zombie-ridden The Last of Us TV adaptation dominating the zeitgeist, he suggests he was spurred on by an urgent political Spike's lessons in humanity, Boyle highlights a stagnant culture on the island, which is "not progressive, standing still... looking back to the halcyon days of England".The director describes the island's feudal way of life as deceptively safe but ultimately regressive – something Spike comes to Boyle, it reflects today's political climate and its dangers. "I think putting that in a horror film is a good thing," he says. "Because I think it will lead us to horror - and we know it will. We can see it beginning to happen even around us. Horror is a great genre for that, and it's one of the reasons it remains so popular."With so much real conflict around the globe, horror films feed off the sense that "huge change could be just around the corner" in the world as we know it, Boyle says. In the original 28 Days Later, the Rage Virus was developed by forcing chimps to watch graphic video footage.I ask Boyle whether he sees a parallel in the real-life rise of social media, with its personalised algorithm that's designed to reward polarising, rage-inducing content."We're encouraged to communicate through these things," he replies, swiftly holding up his phone. "They're incredibly powerful – and easily manipulable. But they make us go through [the screen] to talk to each other."By contrast, he says there's "something intangible but amazing about cinema" and other collective human matters is the authentic connection from cinema - sharing something "which is not about this", he says, gesturing to his phone."It's very fragile, but it's very important, and we must hang on to it, as much as can."For Boyle, then, 28 Years Later is about audiences facing terror as one as much as the horror itself - real or imagined. Two decades on, we know all too well how they can blur.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Stephen King terrified he'll be called 'corny' over VERY surprising new film
Stephen King is concerned that his new sci-fi drama The Life of Chuck could hurt his reputation as one of the masters of horror. The inspiring film follows the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz, played by Tom Hiddleston, as he 'experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us'. It's told in reverse-chronological order, beginning when Chuck is dying from a brain tumor the end of his life, and ends when he's a child. It also features an exuberant five-minute dance sequence inspired by Fred Astaire. Given the uplifting nature of the movie, King admits that he's worried about how it will be received. 'It's not like I'm saying, 'Oh, people are gonna see Stephen King in a brand new light!' The thing is, I'm terrified of reviews that say, 'This is corny.' But I have a strong belief that joy is also a valid exploration,' he told WSJ. 'In the story, there are a lot of things that are very unpleasant, including a man's decline from a brain tumor. But you have to understand that moments of joy are also a part of the human experience,' he continued. 'You can see a movie like 'Taxi Driver,' which shows the very bottom part of human nature, and that gets fantastic reviews because people say, 'Oh, it's a slice of life!' 'But there are slices of life that are sweet as well. And I should know, because I'm just lucky to be here.' The Life Of Chuck is based on the story of the same name from King's 2020 collection of four previously unpublished novellas, If It Bleeds. The novella consists of three separate stories linked to tell the biography of Charles Krantz in reverse starting with his death from a brain tumor at age 39 and ending with his childhood in a supposedly haunted house. If It Bleeds was released in April 2020 and featured the short stories Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life Of Chuck, If It Bleeds and Rat. Netflix acquired the film rights to Mr. Harrigan's Phone in 2020 and it premiered in October 2022 on the streaming service to mixed reviews. Meanwhile, King currently has a number of projects in the works based on his novels. First up is The Institute, which is set to scare viewers when it hits MGM+ next month. The eight-part limited series follows the terrifying story of Luke Ellis, a 12-year-old prodigy whose life is shattered overnight when he's kidnapped and wakes up inside a shadowy facility known only as The Institute. Inside, he meets other children with psychic abilities who are being subjected to disturbing and painful experiments under the watchful eye of the calculating Ms. Sigsby, played by Emmy-winner Mary-Louise Parker. While the children initially believe that they're there to be taught and cared for, they soon discover that the staff at The Institute are trying to weaponize their powers for evil. King's fans were furious earlier this year when Netflix announced it would be making a reboot of his novel Cujo. Amazon Prime also revealed that they're turning his iconic novel Carrie into a series.
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Danny Dyer reveals bizarre diet trick that helps him 'keep the weight off' but admits it's a struggle
Danny Dyer has revealed his bizarre diet idea that helps him 'keep the weight off' on Wednesday. The EastEnders star, 47, admitted that while he does find his hack effective, it does become a 'struggle.' Speaking to Louis Theroux on his podcast, in quotes obtained by The Sun, Danny explained: 'I want to build up to not eating anything on Monday. 'I fast in the day just to keep the weight off. I feel like if you fast, it's good for your body as well. 'But it's a struggle. Mondays are s**te anyway. 'So you know you got to look forward to your dinner on a Monday. But I do fast during the day until the afternoon.' Danny added: 'Just liquids so your body can start to eat itself. You've got to drink plenty of water while you're doing it and it does work.' Elsewhere he discussed the moment he realised he was 'destroying' his life with drugs and credited his EastEnders co-star Luisa Bradshaw-White for telling him he had an issue. During the interview, the pair discussed how Danny's moment of clarity to make a change came after being 'off his head' following the NTA s back in 2017. Louis kicked off the conversation by asking the star: 'On Desert Island Discs. You talk about not being able to put your trousers on...' referring to the day after the NTAs. Danny candidly replied: 'I had a moment of clarity where I had been on it all night after the NTAs. 'I think I'd won and that's always on like a Tuesday or something and I had to go to work. 'There's another thing with EastEnders, is that they go, "Yeah, come celebrate NTAs, but you are up at seven in the morning". So anyway, I'd just overdone it again and I just could not work out how to get my jeans on. Wanting Danny to explain further, Louis asked him: 'Which part of it?' Danny replied: 'I was just sitting on my en suite toilet trying to work out what leg goes in what, and I don't why. 'I've sort of had many of them moments over the years of me being completely off my head. 'But that one really resonated with me. It was more because I looked up, my wife was just watching me and she looked shattered and she looked ill. 'And of course, you know, the drug taking and the madness that comes with it, you're destroying yourself and your body and you're slowly killing yourself, but you also, you're really upsetting the people around you. 'I just looked at her, even through this moment, I was off my head. But everything seemed to just sort of go, what the f*ck are you doing to people around you that love you? 'And it was that moment and I could hear Artie, my son, who's now 11, he must have been 3. He was running around downstairs and I think I'd got rid of the last straggler out the house.' When asked what the time would have been Danny added: 'Well it would've been about 6.30-6.45.' Clarifying further, Louis asked the star: 'What in the morning?' To which Danny replied: 'Yeah, So I had a car picking me up to take me to work and it was just this moment I thought, "s**t, you're going to die. 'You're going to kill yourself. You're not happy. You're spanking all your money on drugs. You're destroying everything around you." He continued: 'It's weird, that moment, because I went straight to work that day and I was a bit off my head and I did say, "Listen, I need help. I can't do this anymore, 'I need help. I don't know what it is, but this is a crossroads in my life where I need a gear change and I need it now and I don't think I'm going to survive this year". Crediting his co-star, he added: 'And so, you know, I want give a shout out to Louisa Bradshaw White, who played my sister Tina, who really came to the front for me, more than anybody else. 'She'd always said that she thinks I've got an issue and problem. No one else would say that to me… I don't know, people don't want to busy themselves in your life either. 'She would always say, "whenever you're ready" you know, that was her vibe with me and then I was ready.' When Louis said he wondered if Louisa had been through something similar, Danny said: 'She's had her issues like a lot of people have really, and a lot of people in my life, 'I've seen a lot of people go through some quite heavy stuff and always thought, "oh f*cking hell, that's quite heavy, glad I'm not that bad." Actually, turns out I was, it just took me a longer route to get there. In 2019, Danny revealed that in his past he binged on crack cocaine and was in such a 'dark place' that he was 'slowly committing suicide'. He told the i newspaper at the time: 'I was in such a dark place, I was slowly committing suicide. I had no hope, I hated myself, couldn't look in the mirror for more than five seconds. He recalled one of his darkest moments as staying up all night smoking crack before appearing in his mentor Harold Pinter's play Celebration back in 2001 at New York's Lincoln Center. He confessed: 'I was abusing myself so much, my brain wasn't ready and I didn't have a clue what to say. 'The blood rushed from my feet to my head and I was petrified. I felt so vulnerable.' The Louis Theroux Podcast is available on Spotify and all podcast platforms.
