Viewers think they’ve spotted Cillian Murphy in the ’28 Years Later’ trailer, putting a depressing outlook on the original film’s ending

Before Oppenheimer or Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy was in a little movie called 28 Days Later. The zombie film preceded The Walking Dead, even though it had quite a similar setup.

28 Days Later was directed by Danny Boyle, who collaborated with screenwriter Alex Garland in one of their many projects together. Murphy stars as Jim, and would go on to have quite an impressive career of his own. Rumored to appear in the third film of the franchise, 28 Years Later, many fans have been theorizing if Murphy how make an appearance. He is credited as an executive producer, and his recent awards buzz from his Christopher Nolan venture doesn’t hurt either.

The 28 Years Later trailer has been released, but besides visuals of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer in leading roles, no other acclaimed actors can be found. Not officially, at least. Fans have hypothesized that Murphy actually does appear in the trailer, but not in any way that viewers want to see him. One particularly haunting visual features an emaciated zombie that resembles Murphy to an uncomfortable degree. In an earlier statement, Sony executive producer confirmed that Murphy was involved, stating via IGN he is: “in a surprising way and in a way that grows.” The zombie pictured doesn’t appear to be growing anything, but that hasn’t stopped fans from feeding into this new theory.

The theory has spread like wildfire based solely on how the particular zombie looks in the horror sequel. It may be an easy way to incorporate Murphy, who certainly has a hectic filming schedule, but it does add a dour note to the uplifting ending of 28 Days Later.

The indie horror film focuses on Murphy’s character, Jim, who wakes up from a coma to a nightmare. He represents the perspective of the audience, learning these new rules as people become infected by the Rage virus. Throughout all the death and suffering, Jim and Selena (Naomie Harris) make it past the brutal military to find some kind of peace. They are isolated within the natural beauty of the world that has not been touched by disease. Adding a coda where Jim does not get his happy ending is a depressing look at humanity.

Jim deserves his ending in 28 Days Later

These fan theories have not been substantiated as of yet, no matter how prevalent the online discourse is. The trouble with long-running post-apocalyptic stories is that typically everyone has to die at some point. The Walking Dead went on for 11 seasons and proved that to keep things fresh, no one is safe. Jim and Selena had a reprieve from this, and that message was uplifting. Despite all the pain and suffering, there is something still to look forward to.

Killing Jim after everything he has endured destroys this ending and leads to more pain. If this is the case, 28 Years Later is selling a story that means there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Only death awaits. 2002 and 2024 are different times; 28 Days Later came out at a time when people could look on the bright side. 28 Years Later could very well just be a response to the times that people are living in. Even so, that means that Jim’s survival is more necessary than ever. 28 Days Later had such a beautiful ending, it is heartbreaking to take that away.