The highly-anticipated new entry into the 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later series is set to hit screens later this year, but fans have just been dealt a disappointing blow regarding the cast.
The initial trailer for the upcoming zombie horror flick dropped on December 10, leading many to believe they caught a glimpse of Cillian Murphy among the chaos. In one fleeting trailer moment, a gaunt zombie that bore an uncanny resemblance to the acclaimed actor emerged from a field.
Cillian famously played the role of Jim in the original 2002 movie 28 Days Later, and fans had speculated that the trailer footage showed his character had met a grisly fate and succumbed to the Rage Virus, reports the Mirror. However, it was later revealed that the actor portraying the spine-chilling zombie wasn’t Cillian but a lookalike extra named Angus Neill.
The trailer sparked speculation that Cillian Murphy would appear as a zombie – but it wasn’t him
(Image: Sony Pictures)
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In a devastating blow for fans, it has now been confirmed that Cillian will not be returning to the franchise in any on-screen role at all, despite Sony bosses previously teasing that he would be back in a ‘surprising way’.
In a recent conversation with Empire magazine, producer Andrew Macdonald divulged: “[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. 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.”
Director Danny Boyle shared that he had been alerted to the lookalike situation in the trailer but dismissed the warning.
“I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly,'” he revealed. “I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”
Cillian Murphy appeared as Jim in the 2002 film 28 Days Later
(Image: Sundance/WireImage)
The forthcoming 2025 film will signal the start of the series’ first trilogy. The second instalment, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, set to arrive in cinemas in 2026. The impressive cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Jodie Comer.
The official synopsis for 28 Years Later states: “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.”
28 Years Later releases in cinemas on June 20, 2025