A dark 28 Years Later theory that spawned from the film's latest trailer has been debunked.
The eagerly-anticipated zombie horror sequel once again follows Cillian Murphy's Jim, who in 2002's 28 Days Later was seen awakening from a coma to discover the world has been ravaged by the rage virus.
The first full trailer dropped on Tuesday (December 10) and seemed to hint at the fate of Jim with a short clip showing an emaciated zombie bearing a resemblance to his character.
Related: 28 Years Later trailer features unexpected Teletubbies cameo
But a source close to the production has debunked this theory, saying that the zombie in question is not played by Murphy and is instead played by art dealer Angus Neill (per The Guardian).
Neill told the publication: "Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role. So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part.
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"On set, he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience."
Related: 28 Years Later gets an exciting filming update
Despite not being seen in the trailer, Sony boss Tom Rothman said to Deadline that Peaky Blinders star Murphy would be reprising the role of Jim in "a surprising way".
Speaking about the film franchise and its impact earlier this year, Murphy said: "I've always said I would love to be involved because that movie changed everything for me – I have great affection for it and for [Alex Garland and Danny Boyle]. I never watch my own films, except that one.
"It's always on around Halloween and during the pandemic people were constantly sending me clips. And I've shown it to my kids. It's really stood up, even though it's 22 years old now, so I'm really thrilled that we'll get the band back together to make this one."
Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are also set to star in the film.
28 Years Later is released in cinemas on June 20, 2025.
