Cillian Murphy will appear in the second film of the 28 Years Later trilogy, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. According to director Danny Boyle, Murphy will make a brief appearance at the end of The Bone Temple to set up the third and final installment.
Boyle revealed that if the third film is greenlit, Murphy is expected to have a “dominant” presence. The future of the trilogy depends on 28 Years Later performing well at the box office, with Sony’s decision to approve the third film based on its success. While nothing has been officially revealed about Murphy’s return as Jim, he is involved behind the scenes as an executive producer for both 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple.
Speaking to Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Boyle described a “handover technique” between films and hinted that Murphy’s appearance is part of a broader narrative setup for the trilogy’s conclusion.
Boyle said, “There’s a handover technique… although the films sit and exist individually, as you hope them to be satisfying stories on their own, within each one is a handover sequence where these characters are introduced, and that happens in the second film.”
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Boyle said, “If we get the money… the story arc is very carefully worked out.” He added, “All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed.”
Following its early premiere, 28 Years Later is officially Certified Fresh at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes from 96 critic reviews. The film is described as “the horror movie of the year and the best one in the franchise.”
In 28 Years Later, nearly three decades after the Rage Virus outbreak, a small family lives in peace on the isolated island of Lindisfarne. Isla (Jodie Comer) is pregnant, living with her husband Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and their 12-year-old son Spike. When danger reaches their safe haven, they’re forced to return to the infected mainland — a place full of chaos, cults, and no hope of rescue.
There, they meet other survivors, including Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who is trying to understand what’s left of the world, and Erik (Edvin Ryding), a lost NATO soldier. But the biggest threat is Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), the leader of a strange and dangerous cult who believes the end of the world is near. Now, the family must do everything they can to survive — and stay together — in a world that’s falling apart.
Directed by Boyle and written by Garland, it is the third film in the 28 Days Later series, following 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).
Produced by Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, Bernard Bellew, Danny Boyle, and Alex Garland, with Murphy serving as the executive producer. It is a production of Columbia Pictures, DNA Films, BFI, and Decibel Films.
28 Years Later will hit theaters on June 20, 2025, by Sony Pictures Releasing.
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