Danny Boyle: 28 Years Later 3 will have a lot of Cillian Murphy
Danny Boyle says that if 28 Years Later 3 goes ahead, expect one actor in a very big way.
Here we go again with the world of running zombies and battered survivors. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have not given up on their infected dream yet, even if the last film in their saga didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. If you’ve been wondering what’s actually going on with that elusive third entry (and apparently plenty of people are), here’s the current state of play.
‘28 Years 3, or whatever it ends up being called, will get made because people keep asking about it,’ Boyle told Variety. ‘Quite when I’m not sure, but there’s a script – a very good script by Alex Garland.’
The Slow March to the Screen
The original plan was ambitious: not just one follow-up, but a full 28 Years Later trilogy. The first film managed to keep things rolling, but then 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple landed with a thud commercially. That’s usually where projects quietly die, but Boyle doesn’t seem keen on letting it slip away. There is already a finished script by Garland, and yes, Cillian Murphy is still involved, much to the delight of those who remember his days as the world’s most bedraggled leading man.
Boyle is promising Murphy will have quite a presence in the new film—Oscar in hand, no less. Whether we’ll see as much of him (literally) as in the original is anyone’s guess, but Boyle’s fairly obsessed with the memory of Murphy’s Iggy Pop-like physique, which, apparently, requires no special maintenance at all. Not jealous, honest.
He continued, ‘[It will have] a lot of Cillian Murphy in it. Whether he’ll take his kit off anymore, that I don’t know. He’s got the Oscar now.’
Shooting was supposed to get underway this year, but timing played havoc thanks to British weather and location restrictions. Everything’s now pencilled in for 2027—assuming the logistical gods cooperate. If you’re tracking the timelines, that means the earliest we’ll see the final chapter is probably late 2027 or more realistically, into 2028.
Shooting on ‘28 Years Later 3’ is now expected in 2027, due to seasonal filming restrictions on UK locations.
Boyle’s Other Infatuation: Ink
While the infected are on ice, Boyle’s actually got a different project coming: Ink, a newsroom drama about the early days of The Sun and the never-ending spectacle that is Rupert Murdoch. Jack O’Connell is in as Larry Lamb, with Guy Pearce playing Murdoch himself. Anyone familiar with the UK’s tabloid wars might be quietly intrigued—or quietly dreading—what Boyle does with it. The film’s already been at festivals and is drawing praise for its pacing and style. Expect needle drops, a fair bit of energy, and probably some chaos in the editing bay.
- Ink lands in select UK cinemas on 11 December
- Streaming on Netflix from 8 January 2027