28 Years Later will not see Cillian Murphy return to reprise his role.
The Oscar-winning actor starred in Danny Boyle's original apocalyptic film 28 Days Later back in 2002 as protagonist Jim, but it's now been confirmed that he won't be back for the upcoming sequel.
"We wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved," producer Andrew Macdonald told Empire in a new interview. "He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line."
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While the Oppenheimer star isn't in front of the camera for 28 Years Later, he has a role behind-the-scenes.
"He's involved at the moment as an executive producer," Macdonald continues. "And I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy."
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28 Years Later is the first in a brand-new trilogy based on the original film by director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland. Macdonald's comments certainly hint that Murphy could return as Jim in either 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple expected in 2026 or the as-yet-unnamed third film.
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The latest update further puts to bed fan theories of Murphy appearing in the recent trailer for 28 Years Later, which was quickly debunked by a production source.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer and Jack O'Connell, the sequel takes place 28 years after the virus that wreaked havoc in the original film.
In the trailer, we see humanity has found a way of co-existing alongside the infected, albeit through a ruthlessly-enforced quarantine. But when one of the survivors on the small island decides to venture out on a new mission, they stumble upon a plethora of unknown secrets, wonders and horrors.
Filming for the first two films took place back-to-back, with 28 Years Later set to arrive first with a June 2025 release. Candyman's Nia DaCosta has directed the second film.
28 Years Later will be released in cinemas on June 20, 2025.
Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
