28 Years Later: the Infected are Back: Danny Boyle brings the Rage again (trailer).
After nearly two decades of development purgatory, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are finally delivering a third instalment in the 28 Days Later series, titled 28 Years Later. Set to release on 20 June 2025, the film marks a return to the franchise’s grim, relentless vision of a world ravaged by the rage virus. Boyle, Garland, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle are back on board, bringing the original team’s gritty aesthetic to a story that promises to explore new horrors.
Picking up almost three decades after the outbreak, the film follows a group of survivors living on an isolated island, connected to the mainland by a single, fortified causeway. Life, though brutal, is relatively stable until one of the group embarks on a mission to the mainland. What he discovers is far worse than the infected. Humanity has changed, mutated by isolation, desperation, and the virus itself, creating horrors far more insidious than mindless rage.
The cast is led by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, joined by Jack O’Connell and Erin Kellyman, with a special credit to Cillian Murphy as executive producer. The choice of Comer as a lead promises an emotionally charged performance, while Fiennes’ presence suggests a layered role, potentially toeing the line between saviour and antagonist. Taylor-Johnson’s character, Jamie, appears to embody the courage—or recklessness—of those who dare to face what remains of the mainland.
In true 28 Days Later style, the production leans into an experimental approach. Filmed entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, the cinematography by Dod Mantle embraces the raw, unpolished style that made the original so iconic. Filming took place across the atmospheric landscapes of northern England, including the eerie ruins of Lindisfarne, Fountains Abbey, and the rugged beauty of Cheddar Gorge. This decision to use mobile technology echoes the series’ origins, where budget constraints birthed a visual style that revolutionised horror cinema.
The trailer, released on 10 December 2024, is already a viral hit, amassing over 10 million views in two days. Featuring a haunting recital of Rudyard Kipling’s Boots by Taylor Holmes, the slow, rhythmic verse overlays bleak, violent imagery of infected swarms and desolate landscapes. Critics have called it the most arresting film trailer of the year, and the buzz is palpable.
Boyle and Garland aren’t stopping here. 28 Years Later is the first part of a planned trilogy, with its sequel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, already filmed under the direction of Nia DaCosta. Garland, the creative engine of the franchise, has written scripts for all three films, promising a cohesive and evolving narrative. The sequel’s title hints at even darker explorations of what humanity and the infected have become, pushing the series into uncharted territory.
Boyle’s return to the director’s chair brings with it the promise of existential dread and visceral terror. This time, however, the stakes feel different. The rage virus isn’t just a backdrop for survival horror—it’s a catalyst for examining the long-term consequences of human desperation, isolation, and the corrosive effects of hope deferred. Boyle and Garland seem poised to delve into the question of what separates survivors from monsters when survival itself is the only metric of morality.
The infected are faster, the survivors are more brutal, and the world is even bleaker. Fans of the series know to expect the unexpected, and with the original creators back in control, 28 Years Later looks ready to breathe new, terrifying life into the apocalypse. As for what comes next, one thing is clear—there’s more rage to come.
