Cillian Murphy's Role in "28 Years Later" Franchise Has Been Clarified

Cillian Murphy is coming back to the “28 Days Later” franchise — but fans will have to wait patiently. 

Director Danny Boyle revealed in interviews with Business Insider and IGN that Murphy, who starred in the original “28 Days Later” in 2002, will not star in the upcoming “28 Years Later," but will appear in the ending of its 2026 sequel, “The Bone Temple.”

“He is in the second one,” Boyle told IGN. “I shouldn’t give away too much. I’ll get killed.”

Boyle and writer Alex Garland conceived “28 Years Later” as the start of a new trilogy. The franchise revival, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, was filmed back-to-back with its follow-up, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” which is directed by Nia DaCosta. 

A trilogy-capper remains in development and could be greenlit if “28 Years Later” becomes a box office hit. Boyle hopes that incorporating Murphy, who is coming off of a best actor Oscar win for “Oppenheimer,” could also help secure financing for the third film.

“All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed,” Boyle told Business Insider. To IGN, “Although each story [in the trilogy] completes itself, there’s a handover section to the next film as well. So it’s very ambitious. We haven’t got the money for the third one yet. It will depend how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully, if we do okay, they’ll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody’s standing by for that, really. Including Cillian.”

Boyle also shared with Business Insider that getting Murphy on board for the trilogy helped him get approval to film “28 Years Later” with iPhones: “You promise them Cillian Murphy, that’s quite a deflection of any technical concerns. They soon forget. We nakedly used that to get our own way. What better promise could you make?”.

Boyle’s original “28 Days Later” was one of the first blockbuster roles for Murphy. He led the thriller as Jim, a man who awakens in a hospital to discover the United Kingdom has collapsed amid an undead apocalypse. 

Fans have speculated that Murphy could return to the franchise, with some even believing that a zombie in the first trailer for “28 Years Later” was played by the actor. It’s actually an art dealer and acting newcomer, Angus Neill.

“28 Years Later” releases to theaters June 20 from Sony Pictures. The sequel, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” is slated for January 16, 2026.