28 Days Later, a modern classic of the zombie genre, is getting a new sequel! Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the director and writer (respectively) of the 2002 hit, are reuniting for 28 Years Later. The new feature is expected to hit studios, streamers and other buys in the coming days.
The 2002 original already had a sequel in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland were only involved as executive producers on the project. The hope now appears to be for them to launch a new trilogy, with Boyle directing the first and Garland writing all three films, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news.
28 Days starred Cillian Murphy as a man who wakes from a coma after a bicycle accident to find that England is now a desolate, postapocalyptic hellscape, thanks to a virus that turned its victims into raging killers. He must then navigate this new landscape, meeting survivors along the way. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson also star.
28 Days Later is notable for popularising the idea of ‘fast zombies’, i.e. zombies that could run. Though Night of the Living Dead had previously experimented with the idea, the effect was played for laughs. It also spring-boarded a revival in the zombie genre, paving the way for films, shows, and novels like Shaun of the Dead, Planet Terror, Zombieland, World War Z, Warm Bodies, and The Walking Dead.
Stay tuned for more updates on 28 Years Later as the project looks for financial backers.