28 Years Later sets official release date, cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and more

New details about the highly anticipated follow-up to the hit 2002 film 28 Days Later have emerged. The new movie, titled 28 Years Later, is expected to be the first in a planned trilogy of films released by Sony. We now know that the film will officially be released in theaters on June 20, 2025.

It was previously announced that 28 Years Later would star Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Deadline recently reported that Jack O'Connell had also joined the cast.

O'Connell got his start on the hit UK Channel 4 series Skins before moving on to major film roles in movies like Unbroken, Money Monster, and Lady Chatterley's Lover. Most recently, he starred in the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, and he's slated to star alongside Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's currently untitled gothic vampire film.

Plot details surrounding 28 Years Later are being kept firmly under wraps, though reports indicate O'Connell will play a supporting role in the first film before transitioning to a lead role in the second. 28 Days Later, filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are set to return, with Garland writing the script and Boyle directing.

28 Years Later is the second film sequel to 28 Days Later, as 28 Weeks Later was released in 2007. Boyle and Garland were only onboard in an executive producing capacity for that one, so it seems like this new film is a chance for them to take back creative control of the franchise.

The first two films in the trilogy are intended to film back-to-back. Candyman director Nia DaCosta has been tapped to direct the second movie in the planned trilogy.

Cillian Murphy currently set as an executive producer on new movie

28 Days Later is considered one of the best horror movies, particularly regarding pandemic thrillers. Cillian Murphy starred in the original as a bicycle courier who wakes up after a month-long coma to find the world has been ravaged by zombies created by a deadly virus.

Murphy is confirmed to be an executive producer of 28 Years Later, but there is no word on whether he'll actually appear on-screen as part of the ensemble. I feel like maybe a cameo could happen, but who knows?

Trilogies are all the rage in the horror genre these days, with blockbuster franchises like Halloween and The Exorcist going that route along with the upcoming trilogy The Strangers.

Stay tuned to 1428 Elm for all the news and details regarding 28 Years Later and the upcoming trilogy. Follow us on our Facebook page and Twitter account!