‘28 Years Later Part III’ Is “On the Back Burner,” Danny Boyle Says

Well, this isn’t the update we were hoping for.

Just last week, Danny Boyle sounded confident that the third 28 Years Later movie would happen. Now, the filmmaker says the trilogy’s final chapter is “on the back burner at the moment.”

Speaking during a Q&A at the London Film Festival this afternoon, Boyle said he still hopes to make the film if financing comes together, reports Deadline. Alex Garland’s schedule has also contributed to the pause.

“Alex has been off doing his own film, which is a big project,” Boyle explained.

That project is A24’s adaptation of Elden Ring, which is keeping the writer-director busy while we wait to see whether this trilogy gets its conclusion.

It’s a frustrating development after Boyle’s more optimistic comments that we reported on September 30. At that point, he said Garland had written a very good screenplay and that the third movie would feature a substantial role for Cillian Murphy, although he couldn’t say when it would happen.

Earlier this year, Boyle had also expressed hope that filming could begin in 2027. That was always a target, and this latest update certainly doesn’t give us reason to count on it.

Unfortunately, all of this follows the box-office disappointment of Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which earned approximately $58.5 million worldwide against a reported $63 million production budget. I thought that movie was amazing, which makes the possibility of leaving this story unfinished all the more frustrating.

Boyle is still hoping to make it, so the third film isn’t out of the question. But between the financing and Garland’s commitments, it doesn’t sound like something we should expect to get moving anytime soon.

After , I really want to see them finish what they started. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting.