‘28 Years Later 3’ Will Happen, Danny Boyle Says: “A Lot of Cillian Murphy”

Danny Boyle is adamant that the third 28 Years Later movie will happen, even if he can’t yet say when. And Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) will have a substantial role in the trilogy’s final chapter.

According to Variety, Boyle says Alex Garland has written the screenplay, and continued interest in the film gives him confidence that it will get made.

“28 Years 3, or whatever it ends up being called, will get made because people keep asking about it. Quite when I’m not sure, but there’s a script – a very good script by Alex Garland,” Boyle said.

As for Murphy’s involvement?

“[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.”

It’s an encouraging update after the uncertainty that followed 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s box-office failure. I thought Nia DaCosta’s sequel was amazing, which made watching its theatrical performance – and the resulting doubts about a third movie – all the more frustrating.

As we previously reported, The Bone Temple grossed approximately $58.5 million worldwide against a reported $63 million production budget, raising concerns about the future of Boyle and Garland’s planned trilogy.

Back in February, Dread Central covered a World of Reel report suggesting that the finale was in limbo, while making clear that we had not independently confirmed those claims.

There has been reason for optimism since then. In May, we reported that Boyle hoped to begin filming in 2027, following an interview he gave JoBlo. He explained that the story’s British setting limited the times of year when production could take place, and they had missed the window for 2026.