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British horror film 28 Days Later by director Danny Boyle was a surprise hit in 2002 and soon became a milestone in the genre.
Five years on came the sequel 28 Weeks Later, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Now, Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland are back with a third installment, 28 Years Later – the first in a possible trilogy.
“I think what had happened was we both had a very particular affection for the original film,” Garland said. “That also means you want to protect it as well as continue to explore it.”

The duo was determined to avoid a sequel that would ruin the reputation of the classic. And fear not, Boyle and Garland have succeeded.
Their film is set 28 years after the outbreak of the devastating Rage virus in Britain, which turns those infected into raging, highly aggressive and bloodthirsty creatures that hunt non-infected humans.
Although the film is called a zombie movie, the filmmakers were keen to emphasise that, strictly speaking, these are not zombies – as in, the dead risen from the grave – but infected people.
In the film, Britain remains under quarantine due to the Rage virus. An isolated island community – maybe a metaphor for the post-Brexit era – lives behind a heavily guarded dam. Occasionally, the inhabitants venture onto the mainland to search for useful items – and to kill those who are infected, celebrating this almost like a sport.

Our focus is on young Spike (Alfie Williams), who goes to the mainland for the first time with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), where he runs into serious trouble.
Spike’s mother Isla (Jodie Comer) is seriously ill, suffering from memory loss and hallucinations. But there is no doctor on the island who can help her.
On their trip, Jamie and Spike find themselves in danger and have to fight their way through after nightfall. In the distance, they see a fire. So there must be someone on the mainland who is not infected.
When Spike finds out that it is a medical professional, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), he hatches a risky plan for himself and his beloved mother without telling his father.
“It’s so amazing to have such a beautiful, intimate family drama within this post-apocalyptic world,” said Taylor-Johnson on playing Jamie’s father who is trying to toughen up his son.
“There’s such an intimacy in this great landscape … It’s a coming-of-age story. So you really see it through the lens of a 13-year-old boy.”

This is a horror film on the surface, but at its core, it is not just about bloodthirsty infected people, but themes such as family, society and death.
“I feel there is a fable about island mentality,” said Fiennes, speaking of the “madness” of Brexit, Britain’s departure from the European Union, a polarising step. “There’s the sense of isolation.”
The 62-year-old, who was recently nominated for a best actor Oscar for the papal drama Conclave, is again outstanding. He shines as Dr. Kelson who, despite decades of solitude and being constantly on guard against the infected, manages to hold on to his sanity and compassion.
Unsurprisingly, we also see scenes of extreme violence. In the opening minutes, we watch blood-spewing, raging infected creatures attack a family with brutal violence, which are somewhat testing and may be hard for some viewers to stomach.
Later on in the film, an oversized infected person, who may look familiar to some viewers, commits grotesque acts of violence.

So 28 Years Later is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
“My instinct as a film director is not to be reserved,” Boyle said. “It’s to maximise the impact of the ingredients, whatever they are, that you press to distill, to squeeze as much out of them as possible so that the dynamic range of what you’re watching is vivid and big.”
Although violence and death are omnipresent, Boyle, who won a best director Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, also repeatedly gives us beautiful and fascinating images – such as the lush green landscapes Jamie and Spike wander through.
As they flee in the dark from a horde of infected people, a dreamlike night sky with stars is reflected in the water. In addition, snippets from old films and brief flashbacks make 28 Years Later an impressive visual experience.
This post-apocalyptic horror thriller is accompanied by a gripping soundtrack by Scottish band Young Fathers, plus striking sound effects and noises – and a war poem by British author Rudyard Kipling. A spoken-word recording of his poem Boots from 1915 creates a disturbing soundscape.
If you enjoy 28 Years Later as a powerful new chapter in the horror saga, the good news is that it is set to continue in 2026.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to pick up directly where this latest film leaves off. The screenplay is also penned by Garland and directed by Nia DaCosta (The Marvels). Boyle may shoot another instalment after that, according to reports.


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28 Years Later’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Boyle on the horror sequel

Ralph Fiennes in a still from 28 Years Later. The actor says there is something of a “fable” in the film that relates to the “madness” of Brexit, Britain’s departure from the European Union. Photo: Sony/dpa

28 Weeks Later screenwriter Alex Garland. Photo: TNS

28 Weeks Later director Danny Boyle on the set of the new film. Photo: TNS

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later. Photo: TNS

Boyle attends the world premiere of 28 Years Later at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on June 18, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Cillian Murphy in a still from 28 Days Later.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Alfie Williams in a still from 28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, which will release in cinemas this week. 

Milla Jovovich in a still from Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Photo: Constantin Film Produktion

Ralph Fiennes in a still from 28 Years Later.

Jodie Comer (left) and director Danny Boyle on the set of 28 Years Later.

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Alfie Williams (left) and Ralph Fiennes in a still from 28 Years Later.

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Film & TV

Director Danny Boyle, actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, and screenwriter Alex Garland give their take on 28 Years Later


Director Danny Boyle, actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, and screenwriter Alex Garland give their take on 28 Years Later.


Cinema

28 Years Later’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Boyle on the horror sequel

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Director Danny Boyle, actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, and screenwriter Alex Garland give their take on 28 Years Later

Director Danny Boyle, actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, and screenwriter Alex Garland give their take on 28 Years Later