28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is coming to cinemas in January, only seven months after 28 Years Later revived Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's horror series.
The sequel filmed back-to-back with the first movie, with Nia DaCosta taking over as director from Boyle. We were given our first taster of what to expect in an excellent teaser trailer released in September 2025.
But what can we expect from it? Here's all you need to know about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Be warned though, major spoilers are ahead for 28 Years Later.
When is the 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple released in cinemas?
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has already been confirmed to be released in cinemas on 16 January 2026.
As ever, release date delays are possible, but filming has already been completed on the sequel, which was directed by Nia DaCosta instead of Boyle as he needed to get 28 Years Later finished.
"We knew we had to shoot them back-to-back for financial reasons and actor reasons and all those sorts of things that made a little sense to do it back-to-back," Boyle told IndieWire in June 2025.
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"I couldn't do them back-to-back, so we got Nia DaCosta to do the second one, which was good because if there is a criticism I'd make of us, it's quite a boys' club, and it was good to break that up."
He added that he's already seen a "rough cut" of the sequel, which contains a "very satisfying introduction" of Cillian Murphy's Jim (more on him in a bit).
In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Boyle noted that they didn't yet have the money for the planned third movie. But if it does happen, then Boyle will be back to direct it.
Do we have a trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
We do indeed. As mentioned above, Sony released the first trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in early September 2025.
It's mostly a mood setter, rather than revealing all about the plot, but does show that Spike is now firmly in Sir Jimmy Crystal's gang/cult (more on that in a bit).
If you missed it above, check out the 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple trailer below:
Who's coming back for the 28 Years Later sequel?
If you've seen 28 Years Later, it'll be no surprise to know that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be back as Jamie and Alfie Williams as Jamie's son Spike.
They'll be joined by Ralph Fiennes as Dr Ian Kelson and Jack O'Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal, both of whom become "huge" characters in the sequel, according to Boyle (via IndieWire).
Sadly Jodie Comer is unlikely to be back as Spike's mother Isla in the sequel as she was voluntarily euthanised by Dr Kelson in the first movie.
There's a chance Comer might have filmed some flashback sequences though.
Newcomers in The Bone Temple include Erin Kellyman, Maura Bird and Emma Laird as Jimmy Ink, Jimmy Jones and Jimmima, respectively. The three are members of Sir Jimmy Crystal's cult, and are briefly seen at the end of 28 Years Later.
Most importantly for fans, Cillian Murphy will be back as Jim in the sequel, although don't expect him to play a major role.
"[Nia] gets a bit of Cillian at the end," Boyle told Business Insider. "All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed."
If we do get a third movie though, Murphy will play a "big role" in that one. "A significant role. All I can say, because I know the idea of the story, which has been mapped out, it is clever. It is a very smart use of him," Boyle told IndieWire.
What's the 28 Years Later sequel about?
Along with the first trailer, we got the synopsis for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
"In a continuation of the epic story, Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship – with consequences that could change the world as they know it – and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) becomes a nightmare he can't escape," it reads.
"In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival – the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying."
The coda of 28 Years Later saw Spike meet Sir Jimmy Crystal and his cult members – who all seemingly dress like Jimmy Savile – on the mainland, having decided to take some time away from Holy Island following the death of his mother.
Before he left, Spike left the newborn baby of an infected woman they came across during the movie. Spike has named the baby Isla and it appears that she's not infected, so the sequel will likely explore that unexpected development.
Jamie is sure to want to leave Holy Island to search for his son, while the fact that Dr Kelson's bone temple is in the title of the movie confirms it'll be an important location for the sequel.
According to Nia DaCosta, the sequel is about the "nature of evil" where the first movie was about the "nature of family" and the planned third movie is about the "nature of redemption" (via IndieWire).
You'd think that would point to Jack O'Connell's cult leader being a major part of the sequel's story, but you know to never expect the expected when it comes to a Boyle and Garland movie.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is released in cinemas on 16 January 2026.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
