Cillian Murphy Confirmed to Return For ’28 Years Later’

Cillian Murphy is set to return in the upcoming film, ’28 Years Later,’ slated for release on 20th June 2025. The announcement follows earlier confirmations that director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, who were behind the 2002 original, are back on board.

The star-studded cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell. Murphy, who found his breakout role in the original film, is not only returning to act but also taking on an executive producer role. Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman shared with Deadline that Murphy’s return will be “in a surprising way and in a way that grows.”

Also Read: ’28 Years Later’ Receives June 2025 Release Date

Rothman added, “This is Danny at his best, combined with a very commercial genre, like we had with Edgar Wright and Baby Driver. Sometimes when you put a real signature director into a commercial arena, it elevates it.” In the original ’28 Days Later,’ Murphy played Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma to find society ravaged by a highly contagious virus.

’28 Years Later’ is planned as the first film in a new trilogy, with Garland set to write and produce all three. Boyle is expected to direct just the first instalment, with Nia DaCosta, known for ‘Candyman’ and ‘The Marvels,’ reportedly in talks to direct the second film. Each film costs around $75 million (£59 million).

Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of ’28 Days Later’ in a 2022 interview with NME, Murphy and Boyle reminisced about the impact of their zombie hit and discussed potential sequels. Murphy joked about being too old for another instalment, while Boyle revealed Garland had penned a script for ’28 Months Later’ years ago, though it never progressed.

Boyle said, “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?”

The original film’s success led to a sequel, ’28 Weeks Later,’ in 2007, with Boyle and Garland serving as executive producers.