It might have been in development hell for nearly two decades, but the sequel to 28 Days Later is on the way. Yes, there already was a sequel with 28 Weeks Later, but this is the start of a planned trilogy with meetings about the upcoming film happening tomorrow, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
The new film comes from Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the director and writer of the 2002 movie. The new movie is a zombie thriller that is expected to hit studios, streamers, and other potential buyers this week.
They’re planning on a new trilogy with Boyle attached to direct the first installment. Garland would write all three with each movie having around a $75 million budget. They’ll also both produce alongside original producer Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice.
Originally the idea back in the day was to do 28 Months Later, because it followed the first two movies sequentially, but now the 28 Years Later idea has come into focus.
What Is The Story Of 28 Days Later?
28 Days Later starred Cillian Murphy, who is currently on a run to the Oscars for his performance in Oppenheimer. He played a man who wakes up from a coma to find England in a post-apocalyptic collapse due to a virus that turned its victims into raging monsters. The man then navigates his way through the land, meeting up with Naomie Harris’s character and running into a maniacal army major played by Christopher Eccleston.
It was a huge hit at the time and really revitalized a sub-genre of horror movies involving zombies that continues to this day. It was one of the first to have zombies as more than just slow, limping beasts, and turned them into terrifying, fast, killing machines. The movie and its sequel focused on the societal reaction to a huge event in a post-9/11 world. Without those two movies, we likely wouldn’t have films like Zombieland, World War Z, Army of the Dead, or Zack Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead.
It was a touching point for Danny Boyle, who has gone on to huge success with movies like Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. There’s no word on if Cillian Murphy would reprise his role or who else is attached to the project at the moment.
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Source: THR