Why new 28 Days Later sequel is 28 Years Later rather than Months

When this morning’s 28 Years Later trailer was released, today was the first time many would have realised a sequel is even in the works.

If that’s the case, you may be wondering whether you missed an instalment in the series.

We had the 2002 28 Days Later starring Cillian Murphy, we had 28 Weeks Later starring Jeremy Renner in 2007, and now we are going straight to 28 Years later starring Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell.

The creators of the original film, writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle, have spoken over the years about a possible sequel.

At one point, Garland actually sat on the side of believing they should do months later as the next instalment in the franchise.

He said in a 2015 interview with IGN: “Danny [Boyle] and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] and I have been having quite serious conversations about it so it is a possibility.

“It’s complicated. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why it’s complicated, which are boring so I won’t go into, but there’s a possibility. It’s more likely to be 28 Months than 28 Years. 28 Years gives you one more place to go. 28 Decades is probably taking the p*ss.”

Cillian Murphy is set to return, this time as a zombie seemingly (Sony)

Garland and Boyle did not return for 28 Weeks Later and, while it was better than you’d generally expect for a sequel to a classic film where no one from the original is returning, it was not as well reviewed.

28 Days Later sits at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 7.5 on IMDb, while 28 Weeks Later sits on 72%, with a 6.9 on IMDb.

Years later, in 2023, Inverse spoke to Garland, Boyle, and several others to create an Oral History of 28 Days Later.

Garland said regarding a potential sequel at the time: “I resisted it for a long time because there were things about 28 Weeks that bugged me. I just thought, “F*ck that. I’d rather try to write a different story in a different world.

“But a few years ago an idea materialized in my head for what would be really 28 Years Later. Danny always liked the idea.”

Alex Garland and Danny Boyle (Michael Putland via Getty Images)

At the time, Boyle said: “We’re talking about it quite seriously, quite diligently. If he doesn’t want to direct it himself I’ll be well up for it, if we can execute a similarly good idea.”

The change appears to be due to the fact that the idea Garland hand hinges specifically around there having been years for the virus to evolve and change, and to distance from 28 Weeks Later.

They also appear to have solved the issue of a follow up only having one place to go and it taking the p*ss, with two sequels set to come following 2025’s 28 Years Later.

With the first of the three new films directed by a returning Danny Boyle, they were filmed back to back with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, with Candyman director Nia DaCosta set to helm the film.