’28 Years Later’ trailer doesn’t feature a zombie Cillian Murphy

12 December, 2024

The trailer for Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later does not feature Cillian Murphy, despite the internet’s initial assumptions.

The official trailer for the long-anticipated film dropped on Tuesday (December 10), confirming the movie’s release date of June 20, 2025 and its tagline: “Time didn’t heal anything”.

As had been previously confirmed, the trailer features the film’s core cast of Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, but it was one particular “infested” that is briefly shown in the clip that got fans online speculating.

The inclusion of a skinny, emaciated, zombie-like character with a seemingly familiar jawline led many to assume that it was in fact Murphy under the makeup, with one fan noting: “I swear to god, this better not be Jim in #28YearsLater because if it is you ruined my excitement for Cillian’s return to the franchise by infecting him.”

The assumptions were based on the report that the Oppenheimer star, who played bicycle courier Jim in the original 28 Days Later, would be returning for the new film “in a surprising way and in a way that grows [the character]”.

The theory has, however, been dismissed by The Guardian, who report that the emaciated infected character is in fact not played by Murphy, but by the model and art dealer Angus Neill.

“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role,” Neill said. “So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part. “On set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”

Speaking to NME in 2022 about a potential return to the franchise, Murphy said: “I think there’s a problem with that, in that I’m 20 years older… but every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it. Because I showed it to my kids recently, some Halloween about four or five years ago, and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.”

The film has been shot back-to-back with 28 Years Later II: The Bone Temple, the second film in a new trilogy, which is directed by Candyman’s Nia DaCosta.

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