28 Years Later director Danny Boyle addresses Cillian Murphy's absence
28 Years Later director Danny Boyle addresses Cillian Murphy's absence
After starring in 2002's '28 Days Later' as protagonist Jim, the future of Murphy's character was left undecided alongside fellow survivor Selena – as portrayed by Naomie Harris
A still from the 28 Years Later trailer
(Image: Sony Pictures )
'28 Years Later' director Danny Boyle has teased "we don't know what's happened" to Cillian Murphy's Jim by the events of the movie.
After starring in 2002's '28 Days Later' as protagonist Jim, the future of Murphy's character was left undecided alongside fellow survivor Selena – as portrayed by Naomie Harris – and now Boyle, 68, has insisted the fate of Jim and Selena is still unknown by the events of the sequel '28 Years Later'.
Speaking at a fan event in New York City about '28 Years Later', the filmmaker said: "So, it's independent from the first film, but it's still the same apocalypse 28 years later as it was for Cillian Murphy in the first film and Naomie Harris."
Even so, the filmmaker insisted the two new protagonists in '28 Years Later', as played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer, were "more than worthy stand-ins" for Murphy's Jim and Harris' Selena.
He continued: "But this is 28 years later, and we don't know what's happened to them [Jim and Selena]. I'm not allowed to tell you, but these two are more than worthy stand-ins."
Following '28 Days Later', the story was continued in the 2007 sequel '28 Weeks Later', which didn't feature Murphy's Jim and was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo instead of Boyle.
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'28 Years Later' follows Jamie (Taylor-Johnson) and Isla (Comer) as they leave their tight-knit island community after their 12-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams) embarks on a coming-of-age journey beyond the safety of the island, forcing the family to come face-to-face with the Rage Virus.
'28 Years Later' producer Andrew Macdonald previously insisted Murphy's Jim wouldn't feature in the blockbuster, though the actor was still involved in the project as an executive producer.
Macdonald told Empire: "This, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I'm hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.
"He's involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy."
After '28 Years Later' – which hits screens on 20 June 2025 - Boyle and writer Alex Garland are set to return for the follow-up '28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple' in January 2026, and its sequel.
Garland explained it felt like the "natural form" of '28 Years Later' was a trilogy.
He said: "This is very narratively ambitious. Danny and I understood that. "We tried to condense it, but its natural form felt like a trilogy."
Boyle added the '28 Years Later' films would be a "wholly different approach" to what had already been seen before in the series with '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later'.
The director said: "It was about what that 28 years gives you."
Ahead of '28 Years Later's theatrical release, Boyle urged fans to "support the apocalypse", as the completion of the horror trilogy hinged on the performance of the first two entries.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, he said: "We've finished the first film, we've shot the second, however, we don't have finance for the third yet.
"[Sony Pictures Chairman/CEO Tom Rothman] seems like a nice guy, but he hasn't given us the finance for the third, and that's where [exhibition] comes in.
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"So please, do us proud in your cinemas on June the 20th and support the continuing apocalypse."
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The Guardian
4 hours ago
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Daily Mail
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