28 Years Later hit the big screens on June 20, where the rage virus has wreaked havoc on the UK since its initial outbreak. The movie ended on a cliffhanger, setting up what’s to come in the sequel, which is due to hit theatres next year. The question of whether Cillian Murphy would reprise his role as Jim has been circulating for some time. The speculation sparked when an infected character appeared in the latest film, which many thought was Murphy.
28 Years Later Sequel Update News
It turns out that it wasn’t Murphy’s character at all, and Andrew McDonald, one of the movie’s producers, told Empire that Murphy, who was the executive producer of 28 Years Later, would not return in an onscreen capacity. He said, “On this, we wanted him to be involved, and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line. He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer.”
He added,” I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy.” Director Danny Boyle also outlined a plan for a new series of movies, starting with 28 Days Later. “Well, it’s three films, a trilogy of films which have connecting characters.” Boyle added, “There’s a coda, it’s not a coda; it’s the epilogue or an ending theme at the end of the first film (28 Years Later) that gives you a handover to the second film.
He added, “Although each story completes itself, there’s a handover section to the next film as well. So it’s very ambitious. We haven’t got the money for the third one yet. It will depend on how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully, if we do ok, they’ll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody’s standing by for that, really. Including Cillian.”
The big reveal is that Boyle slipped that Murphy is in the sequel. In an interview with British Host Edith Bowman, Boyle said, “The Bone Temple is the title of the second movie. There is a significant element of the second movie that happens within the Bone Temple. And then Cillian appears at the end. There is a beautiful moment where she (Nia DaCosta) brings him back.” DaCosta, who also directed The Marvels, is the director of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and it looks like Murphy will return as Jim at the end of the sequel.
Final Thoughts
Of course, take anything with a grain of salt, but Murphy’s involvement as executive producer in 28 Years Later makes it promising that he will return as Jim. The movie reached a box office milestone, being projected to hit $60 million domestically in its third weekend in theatres. The achievement surpasses Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet, which finished its theatrical run at $58.5 million domestically. 28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.
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