Arts & Culture Entertainment Film, Theatre & TV

Cillian Murphy Returns in 28 Years Later Sequel

Admin

June 4, 2025
4 min read

Cillian Murphy Returns in 28 Years Later Sequel

It’s been over two decades since 28 Days Later introduced us to a world emptied overnight. Now Cillian Murphy returns 28 Years Later – though not straight away. While the first instalment of the new trilogy arrives in cinemas next summer, Murphy’s much-anticipated return will come in the second film, The Bone Temple, slated for early 2026.

He won’t be in the first film, but he’s far from out of the picture. His reappearance in The Bone Temple is already being described as a key turning point in the trilogy’s arc – a kind of handover, threading the old with the new. The project brings together fresh cast members like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, but Murphy’s role as Jim, first seen stumbling through an abandoned hospital in 2002, has clearly not been forgotten.

Becoming Led Zeppelin: Review

A cinematic dive into the early days of the legendary band.

Ricky Gervais Honoured in Hollywood

From stand-up to the Walk of Fame—Gervais reflects on a career of sharp wit.

Helen Lederer to Appear at Isle of Wight Literary Festival

The actress and writer will speak at next year’s cultural gathering.

And rightly so. That performance became quietly iconic. No grand speeches, no heroics – just a man trying to survive, and asking the same questions we all would. His return taps into something long-standing and unfinished, a sense that the story was never entirely over. Now, it’s being picked up again, not with a bang, but with the weight of time behind it.

The new trilogy is being produced as an ambitious set, with each film built to stand alone while feeding into the next. The second, The Bone Temple, will carry Murphy’s return and likely determine whether the third film gets the green light. Word is, his involvement could be the key to getting that final chapter funded.

There’s been some curiosity, too, about the way the films are being made. Part of the production has embraced a stripped-back style, shot, in some cases, on iPhones. Not something you’d usually expect from a big studio thriller, but then again, neither was the first film. And as one of the people backing this creative decision, Cillian Murphy has more influence now than he did in 2002. It helps when your name alone carries enough weight to open doors and calm nerves in a boardroom.

What these films promise isn’t just action or spectacle but longevity. A story that doesn’t end when the power cuts out, but one that asks: what happens years later, when people have rebuilt or simply adapted? How has the world changed, and who are we now?

There’s no shortage of post-apocalyptic fiction, but 28 Days Later was always different. It took recognisable places, high streets, red buses, tower blocks, and stripped them bare. When it first came out, it felt unsettling because it was so local, so grounded. Watching it now, after everything that’s happened since, gives it a whole new edge.

Cillian Murphy returns to the screen to finish something he helped start – and asking different questions this time. What happens not just when things fall apart, but when they’ve stayed that way long enough to become the norm?

For more on films that leave a mark, and the stories behind them, stay with EyeOnLondon. Whether it’s something you grew up watching or something new that’s caught your eye, we’d like to hear what you make of it. Join the conversation in the comments.