No, Cillian Murphy is not returning for 28 Years Later

Fans have been waiting over 20 years for the return of Danny Boyle's beloved zombie series, which began with 28 Days Later (2002). The movie got a sequel, 28 Weeks Later (2007), but it wasn't quite the same; it had a different director and a different vision. However, later this year, Boyle returns to helm the franchise's long-awaited return: 28 Years Later.

Naturally, with Danny Boyle back at the helm, fans had hoped to see Cillian Murphy's character, Jim, make an appearance. By the end of the first film, Jim's managed to survive, but the second film told an altogether different story, leaving his fate ambiguous. That said, 28 Years Later executive producer Andrew Macdonald has confirmed that Murphy is not involved in the new project, at least not in the first movie of this new planned trilogy. This comes after viewers were utterly convinced that he appeared as a zombie in the trailer.

“[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line,” Macdonald told Empire, adding that Murphy is still involved in the series' return behind the camera. “He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy."

Boyle isn't just bringing his zombie series back as a one-off movie. There's a trilogy coming, with 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple coming in 2026. It's entirely possible that Jim could appear in one of these future movies, or even in 28 Years Later. I mean, if he were involved, would they really want to ruin the suprise ahead of time? I think not.

Ralph Fiennes teases his badass character in 28 Years Later

Cillian Murphy may not be involved in 28 Years Later, but the movie still has a stacked cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Plot details are still under wraps, but Fiennes recently teased his character Kelson.

“He’s a survivor, and the way he survived is very interesting,” Fiennes told Empire. “He’s quite out-there in his views on the world. I think audiences will assume something about him and then see where it goes.”

Funnily enough, Fiennes has already confirmed that his character survives the first movie, teasing that he plays “a much bigger part of the next one.” In his words: “He strides forward into the second film in an enormous way.”

28 Years Later premieres on June 20 of this year. The wait is nearly over, folks!

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