After 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple debuted to rave reactions from critics earlier this week, a third movie is officially in the works – and 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy is in talks to return.
According to Deadline, Alex Garland will return to pen the script, but the sequel doesn't have a confirmed title or director yet. A trilogy was always planned, but Sony opted to shoot the first two movies back-to-back and waited to greenlight the third movie. Danny Boyle was in the director's chair for 28 Years Later, but Nia DaCosta took over to helm The Bone Temple. Boyle has previously voiced hopes to return for round three.
Completing the horror trilogy seems like a no-brainer for the studio: 28 Years Later had one of the biggest horror openings of the year and made over $150 million at the box office when it was released in June, and currently holds a score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. First reactions to the upcoming sequel were overwhelmingly positive, too, calling the film "one of the greatest horror movies of the decade" and "nastier and – surprisingly – funnier than the first part."
The Bone Temple will see Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell reprise their roles as Dr. Ian Kelson and Jimmy Crystal from 28 Years Later, along with Alfie Williams as Spike, who's a new member of Jimmy's cult. Murphy also briefly reprises his role as Jim, the bike courier who survived the Rage Virus outbreak in 2002's 28 Days Later, ahead of his planned role in the third movie.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in theaters on January 16. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other best upcoming horror movies to add to your watchlist.
