After over two decades, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are returning to the world of the Rage Virus with ‘28 Years Later’, the first instalment of a new sequel trilogy. The film’s first trailer has finally dropped, offering a haunting glimpse into humanity’s fight for survival nearly three decades after the events of 28 Days Later.
With a star-studded cast and chilling visuals, the movie promises to deliver a fresh yet familiar take on the post-apocalyptic genre.
Here are seven key facts you didn’t know about this highly anticipated sequel.
1. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland Reunite for the Sequel
Boyle and Garland, the creative minds behind 28 Days Later, are back to revisit the terrifying world they created. The trailer’s opening scenes set the tone, featuring “blood splattered across a TV playing the Teletubbies,” Rage Virus carriers wreaking havoc in rural England, and a chilling recital of Rudyard Kipling’s war poem Boots.
2. The Entire Film Was Shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max
Remarkably, 28 Years Later was filmed entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, giving the movie an unsettling intimacy that complements its apocalyptic setting. The teaser trailer is “a dialogue-free, vibes-heavy affair,” showcasing moments like a mother urging her children to stay silent as helicopters circle overhead.
3. A Star-Studded Cast Brings the Story to Life
The film features an impressive lineup of British talent, including Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Jodie Comer. Fiennes is seen “marching towards a pyre of skulls,” Taylor-Johnson traverses the countryside armed with a bow and arrow, and Comer cradles (presumably) her child. Fans might also catch a glimpse of “Cillian Murphy’s bike courier Jim in a decidedly less-than-fully-human state.”
4. An Intriguing Official Synopsis
The film’s synopsis teases a harrowing journey:
“It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”
5. Practical Effects and Religious Symbolism Return
The film is packed with “good old-fashioned early ’00s zombified carnage,” enhanced by its use of practical effects. Its marketing materials, including posters, also suggest heavy religious symbolism, adding depth to the post-apocalyptic narrative.
6. Boyle and Garland Continue to Innovate
Nearly 30 years after redefining the zombie-adjacent apocalypse genre, Boyle and Garland show they’ve lost none of their creative spark. The teaser reminds audiences that the duo “were doing the devastating, post-apocalyptic rewilded horror-thriller long before The Last of Us spawned its first cordyceps carrier.”
7. The Start of a Bold New Trilogy
28 Years Later is not just a sequel—it’s the beginning of a new trilogy. The film sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the Rage Virus universe, with its world-building promising “secrets, wonders, and horrors” that go beyond the infected to explore the survivors themselves.
28 Years Later is set to hit cinemas on June 20, 2025. With its heart-stopping thrills and visionary storytelling.
(EMPIRE)
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