Production recently wrapped on 28 Years Later, the first instalment of a planned trilogy picking up after the events of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28 Weeks Later.
While plot details for the movie have been kept under wraps until now, we know that Boyle will return to direct this opening chapter before handing over the reins to Nia DaCosta (Candyman) for the sequel...a movie star Ralph Fiennes confirms has already been shot!
"It’s three films, of which two have been shot," he said in a recent interview with IndieWire. "Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother."
"He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected," Fiennes continued. "But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good."
That third chapter hasn't begun production yet and we still don't know who is directing. However, the fact two of these movies have been filmed bodes well for this long-awaited zombie franchise's resurrection taking the form of a trilogy.
The impressive cast also includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and the returning Cillian Murphy (while he's not officially attached to star, he will be executive producing and is expected to make a cameo appearance at the very least).
"I’ve always said I would love to be involved because that movie changed everything for me and I have great affection for it and for those guys Alex [Garland] and Danny [Boyle]," the Oscar winner said back in February. "I never watch my own films, except that one. It’s always on around Halloween and during the pandemic people were constantly sending me clips."
"And I’ve shown it to my kids. And it’s really stood up, even though it’s something like 23 years old now. So I’m really thrilled that we’ll get the band back together to makes this one."
This franchise's return has been a very long time coming and, given how close to the initial zombie outbreak the previous movies played out during, it will be interesting to see what the world looks like nearly three decades later.
28 Years Later is currently set to open in theaters on June 30, 2025.