Cillian Murphy Will Return In 28 Years Later 3

Cillian Murphy will reprise his 28 Days Later role in 28 Years Later 3, the fifth film in the overall franchise

Sony are confidently moving forward with the yet-to-be-subtitled third 28 Years Later film following ecstatic early reactions to the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. In turn, I’m confidently predicting that Cillian Murphy will reprise his role as Jim, the injured bicycle courier whose journey we followed through the rage apocalypse all the way back in 2002’s 28 Days Later.

The Hollywood Reporter has it that Murphy, who deservedly scooped up the Best Actor Oscar for playing the title role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, is currently merely in talks to take up the role again, having already filmed a brief appearance for The Bone Temple, but the rumour mill is saying it’s all but a lock at this juncture. And while a pinch of salt is always recommended, I’m inclined to trust the rumour mill on this one.

Who he’ll be co-starring with is anyone’s guess at this point, The Bone Temple not being out until January. Critics in the US and the UK saw advance screenings this week, but I haven’t caught a whiff of a local screening, so I’m in the dark like you. We do know that Alex Garland will once again be on scripting duties, while Danny Boyle will return to the director’s chair, Nia DaCosta having taken over the reins for The Bone Temple.

Directly following on from this year’s 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple sees Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson trying to find a cure for the rage virus that has decimated civilisation, while young scavenger Spike (Alfie William) contends with a murderous cult led by Jack O’Connell’s Sir Jimmy Crystal’s. How Cillian Murphy’s Jim fits in is a mystery at this stage, but we’re keen to find out.