About that 28 Years Later 3 hype — the new update is a downer

Fans of the relentless British horror saga 28 Years Later might want to get comfortable, because the long-teased third chapter isn’t rushing into production any time soon. Danny Boyle, who kicked off the whole thing with the original back in 2002, has finally given a straight answer on the franchise’s future, and let’s just say it’s not especially upbeat.

Director Danny Boyle said at a London Film Festival Q&A that the project is "on the back burner at the moment."

So, yes, 28 Years Later 3 is currently parked in the cinematic waiting room. Boyle did say he’s not giving up on it completely, but it’s stuck until they find someone willing to hand over a decent pile of cash. It doesn’t help that writer Alex Garland (he’s the man behind the scripts, if you didn’t know) is off making his own “huge project” right now—so the timing’s awkward all round.

Promises and Delays

If this sounds like déjà vu, that’s because it is. Back in May, Boyle sounded much more optimistic; he’d been keen to get rolling on filming in 2026. He even explained at the time the main reason for the delay was logistical—apparently, the area of Britain where they want to shoot only works at specific times of year. Classic British weather, no surprises there. The team simply “ran out of time this year”, but Boyle stressed last spring there was plenty of “enthusiasm” and talked up Garland’s new script.

Earlier this year, Boyle explained: "We ran out of time this year – we literally ran out of time. So it'll be, hopefully, next year. But there's the enthusiasm there, and Alex [Garland] has done a wonderful script for it."

Fast-forward to the present, and that early excitement’s cooled off. Without the right funding in place, he can’t start shooting, which means you should probably lower your expectations for a rapid return of those rage-infected maniacs.

The State of the Franchise

Let’s backtrack for those not keeping score. The first film, 28 Days Later, hit cinemas in 2002 and changed the game for viral apocalypse horror. Cillian Murphy starred as Jim, waking up from a coma to discover London abandoned and crawling with “rage” victims, leading to a memorable run-in with a dangerous band of survivalists dressed up as soldiers. There’s a direct sequel, 28 Weeks Later, that came out in 2007, picking up after the plague dies down a bit (or so they thought).

• The original was directed by Boyle, written by Garland, starring Murphy as Jim.
• 2007’s sequel, 28 Weeks Later, jumps forward but keeps the virus action going.
• 28 Years Later (2025) brought Boyle and Garland back—Murphy also returned, hinting at a potentially larger arc for him ahead.
• Then came 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, with Nia DaCosta directing and expanding the universe.

After bringing Murphy back into the fold, plenty thought he’d be front and centre for the (now delayed) third outing—which at least shows the creative team want to do it justice and not just cash in. The trouble is, all that creative intent doesn’t mean much if no one’s footing the bill or sorting the calendar properly.

28 Years Later 3 currently has no confirmed filming start or release window.