A day after debutingan ominous new posterfor28 Years Later, Sony unveiled an equally mysterious teaser. The hotly-anticipated movie serves as a sequel to28 Days Later,Danny Boyle’sgenre-defining zombie thrillerfrom 2002, and its 2007 follow-up,28 Weeks Later, directed byJuan Carlos Fresnadillo. The studio is being extra-cautious about the three-quel, debuting the teaser without a title but indicating that it’s an “SOS.” At just 13 seconds long, the video doesn’t reveal much about the film’s plot, although it features plenty of haunting imagery, and seems to reveal one of the primary settings for the movie.
Between the beeps of Morse code, the teaser reveals blink-and-you’ll-miss-them symbols, such as red skulls and contamination warnings. But there’s also a quick glimpse at what looks like an island connected to land by a long bridge. This could be where28 Years Lateris at least partially set. The teaser ends with a quick shot of a crucifix, with a zombie nailed to it, an arrow piercing its head. It’s more than enough for fans of the franchise to chew on, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them had already deciphered the Morse code message.
28 Years Laterwill bring back the star of the original film,Cillian Murphy, who is coming off an Oscar win for his performance inChristopher Nolan’s biographical dramaOppenheimer. Murphy will be joined by franchise newcomersAaron Taylor-Johnson,Jodie Comer,Ralph Fiennes,Jack O’Connell,Erin KellymanandEdvin Ryding. Boyle is returning as director, whileAlex Garland— now a reputed filmmaker in his own right — is returning as screenwriter. Garland didn’t write the second film, which grossed over $65 million worldwide against a reported budget of $15 million. He did, however, write28 Days Later, which grossed around $85 million globally against a budget of under $10 million.
‘28 Days Later’ Rewrote the Language of Zombie Cinema
The previous movies are set in a post-apocalyptic England, ravaged by a zombie outbreak that leaves the undead in a venomous state of frenzy. In an interview withIndieWire, Fiennes shed some light on the new film’s plot, and revealed that Boyle shot parts of it on an iPhone. In his own words:
“Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.”
Set for a July 08, 2025, release, the movie was reportedly shot back-to-back with a fourth installment, titled28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, and directed byNia DaCosta. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
28 Years Later
