After months of speculation, Sony will finally greenlight another “28 Years Later” film, capping off their planned trilogy. But what prompted the studio’s decision?
Deadline reports that recent preview screenings are the culprit, with the enthusiastic fan response to Nia DaCosta’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” persuading the studio to produce a third movie. DaCosta’s sequel, which stars returning cast members Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, hits theaters on January 16, 2026. Also returning, albeit in a cameo role: Cillian Murphy, reprising his role as Jim from Danny Boyle’s original “28 Days Later.” That and the sequel’s early buzz should be more than enough for it to have a strong box office weekend to kick off the new year.
As for official plot and casting details for “28 Days Later 3,” well, that’s all up in the air. Murphy may return for that one, too, but he remains only in talks to star. And Alex Garland, who wrote the trilogy’s previous two installments, will be back to write the third. Both should receive executive producer credits on the film. As for who will helm the next movie? Boyle has expressed interest in interviews, but there’s nothing conclusive on that front either.
Whether Sony would greenlight their trilogy-capper was never a guarantee. When the studio won the rights to make the films, they hesitated to make all three at once, instead opting to have Boyle and DaCosta shoot the first two back-to-back, and wait to see how they performed with critics and moviegoers. Obviously, Sony likes the results so far. “28 Years Later” had one of the best openings for the horror genre in 2025 with $30 million in its opening weekend on to a $151.3 million global box office run; that’s the highest-grossing film in the franchise so far. Critics, for the most part, loved the film, too; read The Playlist’s positive review here.
Now, early reactions to “The Bone Temple” predict another winner. DaCosta’s sequel picks up where “28 Years Later” left off, in a future dystopian England decades after the rage virus decimated the island’s population. Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson will face off against O’Connell’s Jimmy Crystal, with Williams’ Spike caught between them. Elsewhere, Spike’s Dad, played by Taylor-Johnson, aims to find his son before it’s too late. Check out the piece linked above to for social media posts that, warning, may spoil some of what the film has in store.
Stay tuned for more details on “28 Years Later 3,” with the big questions right now being whether Murphy officially joins the cast and who will direct. One imagines Boyle will get to call dibs for the latter, but maybe DaCosta helms again if “The Bone Temple” matches or surpasses its predecessor’s box office numbers.
