“28 Years Later” Trailer Releases Hell in Director Danny Boyle’s Long-Awaited Zombie Thriller Sequel

The first trailer for director Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later has arrived, giving us a visceral glimpse at Boyle’s first time at the helm of the franchise since his nervy 2002 original 28 Days Later reanimated the zombie genre, introducing a version of the undead that was quicker, more decisive, and far more rageful.

The trailer opens with a group of small kids watching Teletubbies on the TV, giving us a vision of what the first outbreak was like when it happened 10,228 days ago. Screen text tells us that days became weeks, weeks became years, and the infected were on a death march toward total domination. Then we arrive at the present day, 28 years after the first outbreak, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and a small band of survivors living in a rural and more retro way, hunting with bows and arrows and staying alive by doing the simple work of living day in and day out. They survive in a small community on an island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When the zombies reach the island, the terror begins afresh. Taylor, Jodie Comer, and a terrifying-looking Ralph Fiennes are all in the carnage.

“Sometime after the events of 28 Weeks Later, the Rage Virus has returned, and a group of survivors must survive in a world ravaged by hordes of the infected,” is the official logline from Sony Pictures. The script was written by Alex Garland, the scribe of the first film, who became an incredible director in his own right in films like Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Civil War. Also returning is cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who would later win an Oscar for his work on Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, who originally deployed Canon XL-1 digital cameras while filming on location in England, a novel approach at the time. 

Another original member from 28 Days Later who is involved with the new film is Cillian Murphy, but he doesn’t appear in the first trailer—or does he? There’s wild speculation that he’s the zombie that pops up at the 1:48 mark in the trailer (the resemblance is fairly striking). 28 Years Later also stars Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding.

28 Years Later is just the start of a new trilogy, written by Garland and set to feature director Nia DaCosta, helming the second installment. 

28 Years Later will be unleashed in theaters on June 20, 2025. Check out the trailer below:

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

28 Years Later is a terrifying new story set in the world created by 28 Days Later. It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

For more stories on 28 Years Later, check these out:

Ralph Fiennes Says That Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” Was Shot Partly On an iPhone

Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” Casts Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Danny Boyle’s Iconic Zombie Franchise to Return With “28 Years Later” Sequel Landing at Sony

Featured image: Official Poster for “28 Years Later.” Courtesy Sony Pictures.