It’s been more than a decade since Danny Boyle’s Rage virus decimated the streets of London and its surrounding boroughs, but it seems as though the acclaimed filmmaker is keen to return to the horror film series he helped birth back in 2002 with 28 Days Later. Following a less-than-stellar sequel that he didn’t direct – that responsibility fell to Juan Carlos Fresnadillo – the franchise is quietly making a comeback via the long-gestating third installment, 28 Months Later, which Boyle is open to directing.
There is one caveat to that reunion, though; as detailed in his interview with The Playlist, the Steve Jobs helmer noted that he would only sign on for the follow-up if he resonated with the script.
“I’ve got no problem [with that],” he said. “It’s the usual thing: is it’s not about whether people think it’s a good idea that you’re directing. It’s whether you respond to the script or not. It’s just like on [‘Steve Jobs’]. I got the script and I went, ‘That was amazing. I hope I can add to that somehow and it be even better than just the experience of reading it.’ “
Last we reported, Ex Machina alum Alex Garland was penning the screenplay, indicating that the development has at least coaxed the wheels into motion. 28 Months Later is still a ways away from scurrying into theaters, though, with Boyle noting that both he and Andrew Macdonald – who served as producer across the original installments – still have work to do.
“It’s not quite ready to go, but, there’s been a bit of work done on that,” he said. “It’s in a process at the moment and I wouldn’t have any inhibition about being involved in it at all. It’s amazing what has happened to the zombie genre since we made it. There’s ‘Walking Dead.’ I saw this very funny trailer the other day for the ‘Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.’ A very funny trailer. It appears to be everywhere.”
For a director that likes to chop and change between various genres, Danny Boyle is a filmmaker that you daren’t put in a box, and after tackling the flawed brilliance of Apple’s co-founder with the soon-to-be-released Steve Jobs, he will return to his roots with Trainspotting 2 – which won’t be called Porno, after all. Mind you, Boyle is already thinking further afield, revealing to The Playlist that he’s attached to Andrew Miller’s Ingenious Pain and a seperate period piece, too.
We’ll keep you posted on those projects – including 28 Months Later – as they come to form. Steve Jobs opens on October 9.