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Twenty years after Danny Boyle rewired the zombie genre, the Rage Virus is back for another round. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in cinemas on 16 January 2026, picking up in the immediate aftermath of 28 Years Later and pushing the series into its bleakest territory yet.
The Bone Temple picks up directly after 28 Years Later, which expanded the political and emotional scale of the series. Garland and Boyle always envisioned this era as a trilogy, and with early screenings of The Bone Temple landing well, Sony has already given the third film the go ahead. Garland is writing. Murphy is in talks to return again. Boyle has expressed interest in directing, although nothing is confirmed.
Shot back-to-back with 2025’s 28 Years Later, this sequel wastes no time. The virus is mutating, the world is on the brink, and the Bone Temple sits at the centre of something no one is ready for.
Watch ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s Trailer
What is ‘The Bone Temple’ About?
The sequel begins immediately after the climax of 28 Years Later. Spike (Alfie Williams) is dragged from danger by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), a man whose cult, the Jimmies, turn out to be far more dangerous than the infected closing in behind them. Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself pulled into a relationship that threatens to shift the balance of power entirely.
As is often the case in zombie media, the infected are no longer the greatest threat: the survivors are.
Writer Alex Garland returns, and Fiennes has already hinted to Entertainment Weekly that the sequel digs deeper into the questions raised in the earlier film. He recalls a pivotal scene, calling it a defining moment for the franchise and a window into the film’s core question: does any humanity remain inside the infected?
“The ultimate human moment is an infected woman giving birth to a baby who is not infected,” he said. “Is there still something human in the heart or mind of an infected person? Or are they beyond saving?”
Morality, however, is only one side of the story. The other is what people become when the world collapses. Fiennes says the film engages directly with human violence, noting, “We carry in us the potential for terrible destruction and pain.”
The Confirmed Cast of ‘The Bone Temple’
The sequel brings back the key players from 28 Years Later, as well as
- Ralph Fiennes as Dr Ian Kelson
- Alfie Williams as Spike
- Jack O’Connell as Jimmy Crystal
- Emma Laird as Jimmima
- Robert Rhodes as Jimmy Jimmy
- Erin Kellyman as Jimmy ink
- Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson
- Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Tom
- Maura Bird as Jimmy Jones
- Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox
- Ghazi Al Ruffai as Jimmy Snake
Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) steps in to direct, while Danny Boyle returns as a producer.
And then there is the major comeback. Cillian Murphy returns as Jim for the first time since the original 28 Days Later. The role is brief and arrives late in the film, but he told The Observer it sets the stage for a much larger part in what comes next.
“Everyone has got to go and see the second one,” Murphy said. “I am sure they will. It is really, really good.”
What’s the ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Release Date
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hits Australian cinemas on 16 January 2026.
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