A chilling British voice recites Rudyard Kipling's unsettling wartime poem 'Boots' over the radio. Yes, it looks like Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are back! After months of tantalizing teasers and exciting casting news, we finally have our first look at their ‘28 Days Later’ sequel, ‘28 Years Later’, in an adrenaline-pumping trailer featuring Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Jodie Comer. Check out how humanity is coping 10,228 days after the zombie-adjacent apocalypse below. Did it just get colder in here?
This first teaser for ‘28 Years Later’—shot entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, believe it or not—offers a dialogue-free, atmosphere-heavy experience. But what an atmosphere it creates! Reminding us that Boyle and Garland were pioneering the devastating post-apocalyptic horror-thriller long before "The Last of Us" introduced its first cordyceps carrier, nearly three decades since their last venture into this universe, the duo has lost none of their edge.
In the trailer, we see Taylor-Johnson and a young boy navigating rural England, armed with a bow and arrow, as infected individuals surge towards them. They appear to be searching for... something—or possibly someone, if Ralph Fiennes' recent plot reveals are to be believed. As their journey unfolds, we get glimpses of a scruffy Fiennes marching toward a pyre of skulls (possibly en route to a Bone Temple), Jodie Comer seemingly cradling her child, and—could it be?—Cillian Murphy's bike courier Jim in a rather less-than-human state?
Here’s the official synopsis for the film: "Nearly three decades have passed since the Rage Virus escaped a biological weapons lab, and while the mainland remains under strict quarantine, some survivors have learned to coexist with the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a heavily fortified causeway. When one member embarks on a mission into the heart of darkness on the mainland, he uncovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have transformed not only the infected but other survivors as well."
Filled with religious symbolism, classic early 2000s zombie carnage, and a powerhouse cast of British talent (we haven't even seen Jack O'Connell and Erin Kellyman yet), we couldn’t be more excited to discover what unfolds 28 Years Later when Boyle and Garland's new trilogy kicks off in cinemas on June 20, 2025.