Fifteen years after its release, 28 Weeks Later is still as relevant as ever to fans of the franchise. The post-apocalyptic zombie movie is highly praised by thriller fans, who just can’t get enough of the story, and frequently wonder about if and when they’ll get to see its continuation. Talks regarding another installment have been around for years, going as far back as 2007 when the idea for it was already being cooked. It wasn’t until 2015 that a more concrete plan started being formed, though, as the screenwriter of the first film, Alex Garland, expressed to IGN:
“We’ve just started talking about it seriously. We’ve got an idea. Danny [Boyle] and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] and I have been having quite serious conversations about it so it is a possibility. It’s complicated.”
Recently, director Danny Boyle and the star of the first film, Cillian Murphy, have rekindled fans’ hopes for a third installment. During an interview with NME, they talked about the possibility of continuing the story, and Murphy confessed, “I think there’s a problem with that, in that I’m 20 years older…But every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it.” He then doubled down on the sentiment by expressing his love for the idea and how “it’s very appealing” to him.
As for Boyle, he shared how Garland already has a script for what could become 28 Months Later and expressed his enthusiasm, “I’d be very tempted [to direct it]. It feels like a very good time actually. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered, ‘Bang, this script!’ which is again set in England, very much about England. Anyway, we’ll see…who knows?”
Naturally, none of this serves as a confirmation of the next movie, so fans should take it with a grain of salt. If we recall, both Garland and Boyle have expressed some difficulties underlying a new installment in the past, and we don’t yet know the details of how things have progressed since. Sometimes, no matter how much the people involved want to work on a project, it’s just not possible. For now, the door remains open, though which is a small comfort to expectant fans.
Meanwhile, 28 Weeks Later has been making an impressive comeback on streaming, accompanied by its predecessor, 28 Days Later. This is proof that the audience is still there and will likely show up to support a new movie if it is ever released. Unfortunately, fans might still have a way to go before anything is confirmed.
