One of the most anticipated new movies of 2025 is 28 Years Later, which marks the return of original 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle to the franchise. It also reunites Boyle with original 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, who has become an exceptional filmmaker on his own throughout his career. Garland has been working hard on a new direction for the franchise as he continues developing two sequels to Boyle’s upcoming horror epic. Even more exciting is the confirmation that both Boyle and Garland will also be reunited with Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy at some point in the new trilogy. Fans of the original 2002 film have been highly anticipating the upcoming sequels, and while they won’t have to wait much longer, there are still a lot of unknowns regarding the new trilogy.

With 28 Years Later set to release on June 20th, there is already a ton of speculation about what the follow-up film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, could be about and where it might take the direction of the trilogy. While fans eagerly await June 20th, there isn’t a lot of information about the first sequel in the new trilogy, especially since audiences have yet to see how the first film plays out. However, due to the execution of the new projects as well as the various talented creatives involved, fans have been able to decipher some interesting information about the upcoming sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. While there might not be much to go off of, here’s everything we know about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

When Does 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Come Out?

Does the Sequel Have a Director?

While the first in Alex Garland’s new trilogy has a release date that is rapidly nearing, the following two sequels have had merely speculation on their releases until recently. While obviously both 28 Years Later sequels will be coming out in the next two years after 2025, only one of them has an official release date. As of December 2024, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has a confirmed release date of January 16, 2026. This release date should come as no surprise to fans of the 28 Days Later franchise.

There were a lot of interesting developments surrounding the production of 28 Years Later during the last year and a half. Aside from a considerably larger star-studded cast, 28 Years Later was hyped because of its production approach. Not only was the Danny Boyle sequel shot on iPhone cameras, but it was shot back to back with its follow-up sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This means that The Bone Temple will be released well within a year of the first film’s release, and a confirmed January 16 date makes a lot of sense.

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While fans should be incredibly excited about how soon the new trilogy will be completed and released, there isn’t as much word about when the third film in the trilogy will come out. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple only recently confirmed its bone-chilling new subtitle (no pun intended) and hasn’t released very many details about what the plot will entail. It has been confirmed that while Danny Boyle was hard at work on 28 Years Later, he guided another director through the process of what the next film would look like.

Shot back to back, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picked up production immediately and with a different director than Danny Boyle. Nia DaCosta has been confirmed as the director of The Bone Temple, while Boyle has been confirmed to return to the director’s chair for the third and final film in the new trilogy. That final film has yet to go into production as Boyle and Garland are hard at work on wrapping up the first two films.

What Is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple About?

Who Will Star in the Film?

Image via Sony Pictures

Given that the upcoming horror epic, 28 Years Later, has yet to come out, there isn’t much information about the plot of the film or its two sequels. However, the trailer for 28 Years Later offers a lot of clues about what fans could expect in the upcoming trilogy. In fact, the bone temple itself has already appeared and seems to be a big part of Garland’s new direction for the franchise.

In the trailer for the first film in the planned trilogy, there is a lot of entertaining and terrifying stuff to unpack and much of the film looks to expand the lore of the franchise beyond anything fans are familiar with. Aside from confirming the star-studded cast, which includes Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Laird and Jack O’Connell, there is a lot of visceral imagery that could hint at the plot of the film and the direction of the trilogy. Fans know what the world became after just 28 days of the unrelenting virus spreading across the world. As the trailer suggests, days turned into weeks, and weeks have now turned into years. The world is in much worse shape than when fans saw it last.

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One image stands out most, and it includes an eerie-looking tower of human skulls that have been intricately stacked and designed at the center of a supposed shrine. This is most likely the bone temple itself, and it could suggest that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple includes a cult-like figure or villain that the heroes of the story will have to contend with. While the virus is still a threat, there are other forces at play that threaten the peaceful existence of good people in this world. Even without obtaining much information from the 28 Years Later trailer, that much appears to be true.

As far as the cast, it is safe to assume that a good number of the characters from 28 Years Later will return in The Bone Temple due to the films being shot back to back. However, some characters may also be killed, and at this point, only Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jack O’Connell and Emma Laird have been confirmed to return. Nonetheless, fans can expect a lot of familiar faces and continue to follow Aaron Taylor Johnson’s character as he embarks on a dangerous mission on the mainland of Northumberland.

Will Cillian Murphy Return in the Film?

He Is Heavily Involved in the New Trilogy

Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures

While 28 Years Later reunites Alex Garland and Danny Boyle for the first time in over two decades, it also reunites them with two other essential pieces of the original 28 Days Later crew. Anthony Dod Mantle, who shot the original film in 2002, has also returned for the new trilogy. However, even more exciting than that is the involvement of original star and now Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy.

Recently, it was confirmed that Cillian Murphy’s character Jim would not be returning in the upcoming sequel 28 Years Later. However, Murphy has been confirmed to return to the franchise at some point in the trilogy’s new story. This gives fans a ton of hope that Murphy will be an essential part of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

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With the story of the trilogy effectively building to new mysteries and Jim’s whereabouts, it is only a matter of time before his character appears. There is even speculation that Jim will be a key factor regarding the bone temple and its significance in the world. Whether he is a prisoner the new characters will come across or a villain they have to contend with, Jim’s appearance is likely to happen in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Cillian Murphy may not be in the first film of the new trilogy, but he is an executive producer for all three films. The cast, crew and tantalizing creative direction of the films continue to excite fans everywhere as 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple rapidly approach.

Release Date

January 16, 2026

Director

Nia DaCosta

Writers

Alex Garland