In early 2024, I was over the moon when the news was announced that filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland were not only developing a new follow-up to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, but they were developing a full trilogy. The plans for continuing the franchise found a home at Sony, and not only did Boyle quickly start work directing 28 Years Later (set to hit theaters this summer), but Nia Da Costa was hired to take the helm of a second installment: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (currently scheduled for January 2026).
I remain thrilled to learn what is going on in the fictional world that has been overrun by the Rage virus… but I’ll also admit to being a touch distressed today after learning at CinemaCon that the third 28 Years Later feature has apparently not yet gotten the green light to move forward.
CinemaCon, the annual Las Vegas-based convention for movie theater owners, kicked off this evening with a presentation by Sony Pictures, and two of the earliest projects previewed were 28 Years Later and its sequel, with both Danny Boyle and Nia Da Costa taking the stage to take about their work on the respective movies. An epic and scary new trailer for the 2025 feature was premiered (it will surely be online in the coming days/weeks), and Da Costa showed off a still of The Bone Temple star Ralph Fiennes shirtless, covered in war paint, and wildly smiling, but the standout thing that caught my attention was the commentary about the trilogy-capper written by Alex Garland not being guaranteed. Said Boyle,
We’ve finished the first film, we’ve shot the second, however, we don’t have finance for the third yet. [Sony Pictures Chairman/CEO Tom Rothman] seems like a nice guy, but he hasn’t given us the finance for the third, and that’s where [exhibition] comes in. So please, do us proud in your cinemas on June the 20th and support the continuing apocalypse.
It’s not exactly difficult to read between the lines to understand what Danny Boyle is saying here. While Sony Pictures was excited enough about plans to continue the zombie apocalypse from 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, the studio wasn’t gung-ho enough about it in the dealmaking to immediately promise a budget for a full trilogy. In order for Boyle and Alex Garland to complete their vision, 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will have to hit an unspecified number at the box office. If audiences show up, the sequel will be made; if they don’t, then it won’t.
This development should make any fan of the franchise nervous, as the prospect of any great artistic vision being halted before completion totally sucks, but I also still have confidence, because 28 Years Later looks phenomenal. While the first trailer for the upcoming horror movie was principally focused on showcasing a tone (it looks utterly terrifying), the preview that was showcased today at CinemaCon offered more insight into the plot. The film will center on a father and son (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams) who live in a community on an isolated island but must venture to the mainland, which is overrun with infected people.
In addition to previewing 28 Years Later, the Sony Presentation also provided massive updates about Sam Mendes’ Beatles films and an early look at 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer… and the fun is only staring here at CinemaCon. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend all week for more of our on-the-ground coverage of the event.