’28 Years Later’ Lands at Sony with Cillian Murphy as Producer

Sony has acquired the rights to “28 Years Later,” the sequel to “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later,” bringing back Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. The announcement was made today via an update by The Hollywood Reporter, highlighting Sony’s victory in a bidding war for the project.

Cillian Murphy is attached as an executive producer and may also act in the film, although his acting role has not been confirmed. The project will see Garland writing and Boyle directing, with plans for at least one more sequel in the works.

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. Each movie in the series is expected to have a budget of around $60 million. The specifics of the negotiations, including changes in compensation or plans, are not clear. A theatrical release is a priority for the filmmakers.

Regarded as one of the greatest zombie films of all time, this update is very promising for the sequel. 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle, writer Alex Garland, and actor Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Oppenheimer) offered a promising update in a recent interview with both Inverse and Collider.

In a recent interview with Inverse, Garland said “I resisted it for a long time because there were things about 28 Weeks that bugged me. I just thought, ‘F–k that.’ I’d rather try to write a different story in a different world. But a few years ago an idea materialized in my head for what would be really 28 Years Later. Danny always liked the idea.”

Danny Boyle later said “So we’re talking about it quite seriously, quite diligently. If he doesn’t want to direct it himself I’ll be well up for it, if we can execute a similarly good idea.

Then in a recent interview with Collider, Murphy said “I was talking to Danny Boyle recently, and I said, ‘Danny, we shot the movie at the end of 2000.’ So I think we’re definitely approaching the 28 Years Later. But like I’ve always said, I’m up for it. I’d love to do it. If Alex [Garland] thinks there’s a script in it and Danny wants to do it, I’d love to do it.”

28 Days Later was released in 2002 and follows the story of Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes up in a coma only to find that the city he is in is deserted. He later comes to find out that a mysterious aggression-inducing virus has swept through the United Kingdom and has turned everyone into flesh-eating zombies. The first film was a financial success, making $84.6M on an $8M Budget. It has been regarded as one of the best zombie films in the genre and the success ended up spawning a sequel called 28 Weeks Later.

28 Weeks Later was released in 2007, but it did not bring back Boyle to direct, Garland to write, and Murphy did not return. The film was not as successful as the first one and only brought in $65.8M on a $15M budget. Still regarded as a decent sequel to fans, it never did catch the greatness of the first film. This ultimately put a third movie on halt and had many failed attempts.

This is very promising news and a big jump on moving forward with this sequel. Are you excited that this film is closer to happening and that it will follow the story of the first film? Do you prefer the title 28 Months Later or 28 Years Later? Let us know in the comments below. Also, check out the trailers for the first 2 films below.