Cillian Murphy won’t appear in ’28 Years Later’
28 Years Later producer Andrew Macdonald has confirmed that the much-anticipated sequel will not feature original 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy.
Talk of Murphy’s involvement gathered steam after the first trailer for the new movie, which is expected to be the first part of a new trilogy, was recently released. In that clip, fans got a quick glimpse of an emaciated figure who seemed to have been infected by the franchise’s terrifying rage virus. This mystery person looked an awful lot like an extremely thin Murphy, and fans were convinced the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer star had returned to the franchise.
Unfortunately, though, Macdonald confirmed to Empire that the figure in the trailer wasn’t Murphy, and he won’t be in 28 Years Later. However, that doesn’t mean the creative team, including returning director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, doesn’t plan to include Murphy’s character, Jim, at some point in the new films.
“We wanted him to be involved, and he wanted to be involved,” Macdonald reassured fans. “He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line. He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy.”
Amusingly, Boyle revealed he was warned by his partner that viewers would see the trailer and be convinced of Murphy’s involvement. Boyle admitted, “I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”
28 Years Later will be released in UK cinemas on June 20th, 2025.
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