Hold on tight, horror fans! After decades of waiting, the iconic zombie (or infected, if you're a purist!) franchise is storming back. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the masterminds behind 28 Days Later, have reunited to unleash a new chapter of terror: 28 Years Later. The first film already hit theaters, but that was just the beginning, because 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple is locked and loaded for release on January 16, 2026. And to whet your appetite, Collider has just dropped a chilling first look!
Garland isn't just stopping at one sequel; he's penned the screenplays for a whole trilogy! Boyle directed the first installment, passing the directorial baton to Nia DaCosta, known for Candyman and The Marvels, for The Bone Temple. This is interesting: a new director taking over such a beloved and established franchise. Will she capture the same magic? Only time will tell, but her previous works suggest a unique and potentially exciting take on the infected world.
Thanks to a deal with Sony, each film in the trilogy boasts a theatrical release and a substantial $60 million budget. The first film, 28 Years Later, had a budget of $75 million. Boyle and Garland are producing alongside Bernie Bellew, original producer Andrew Macdonald, and Peter Rice, who championed 28 Days Later back in his Fox Searchlight Pictures days. Cillian Murphy also gets an executive producer credit, solidifying his continued involvement with the series.
While Boyle might return to the director's chair for 28 Years Later Part III, its fate hangs in the balance. Its greenlight hinges on the box office performance of The Bone Temple. 28 Years Later raked in $150 million globally, but some felt it didn't quite connect with audiences. Our own Chris Bumbray gave it a solid 7/10, while Kier Gomes offered a slightly lower 6.5/10. This mixed reception raises a crucial question: Can The Bone Temple recapture the intensity and originality that made 28 Days Later a modern classic?
DaCosta herself has expressed immense satisfaction with her experience on the sequel. She said, "Making the 28 Years Later sequel was one of the best filmmaking experiences I’ve had. One of the issues I had with Candyman and The Marvels was the lack of a really solid script, which is always gonna just wreak havoc on the whole process. But Alex Garland hands you a script, and you’re like, ‘This is amazing.’ You don’t really have to change it, although I did, I basically asked for more infected. [Laughs.] That was, like, my big contribution.”
She also praised the cast and the collaborative environment. DaCosta added, “I inherited an amazing cast, then I was given the leeway to cast the rest of the film. There were a couple of locations I inherited. I was given the leeway to develop all the other locations. Some of it overlapped, like the character Samson — Danny and I would collaborate a bit on the look, but at the end of the day, Danny shoots so different from the way I shoot.“
The newly released image from Collider showcases Chi Lewis-Parry as the imposing "Alpha" infected, Samson (a character we can likely assume will be bringing the pain!), alongside Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson.
So, are you hyped for 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple? Check out the image (link to image location), and let us know what you think in the comments below! What are your hopes and fears for this sequel? Do you think DaCosta is the right choice to carry on Boyle and Garland's vision? Sound off!
