Cillian Murphy Return To His Breakout Role Confirmed
When talking about classic zombie movies, we are at the point now where 28 Days Later has to be included in that conversation. It refreshed the genre with a new take on zombies, was highly influential on the genre, and is still fondly talked about today. That makes it baffling why it only ever got one sequel, but it has now been shared that over two decades since the original came out, we are getting a new movie, with Cillian Murphy returning for 28 Years Later.
The Confirmation
Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman recently shared the news. It had been known a sequel was coming, but fans had been hoping (though not truly expecting) that Cillian Murphy would be reprising his role for 28 Years Later. Rothman confirmed the news when talking about some of his favorite work he has been a part of.
“I think I’ve made eight movies with Danny Boyle and I hold him in the Pantheon and we have his new 28 Days trilogy., said Rothman. “It’s 28 Years Later, but not in any way a literal sequel. Great cast, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer…”
When then asked directly if Cillian Murphy would be part of 28 Years Later, he followed up by saying, “Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that grows, let me put it that way. This is Danny at his best, combined with a very commercial genre, like we had with Edgar Wright and Baby Driver. Sometimes when you put a real signature director into a commercial arena, it elevates it.”
The Original Director Is Back
Hearing that both Cillian Murphy will be back to reprise his character for 28 Years Later, as well as Danny Boyle returning to direct, has fans very excited. While 28 Weeks Later is not reviled, it did not reach anywhere near the acclaim the first movie did.
It also lacked Murphy and Boyle in their roles, so hearing that they are returning brings hope that we may see something comparable to the impact that 28 Days Later had. That would be a truly impressive feat, especially given how much more crowded the zombie genre has become over the last twenty years.
His Breakout Role
While Cillian Murphy is a well-known name nowadays, most recently winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for Oppenheimer, a return for 28 Years Later brings him back to his roots. 28 Days Later was Murphy’s breakout role that really made directors start paying attention to him.
From there he steadily began getting regular work in prominent films like Batman Begins, Inception, Dunkirk, and A Quiet Place Part II. While he is now a much bigger star than he was in 2002, clearly this is a project that Murphy is very passionate about being a part of. He will even be one of the movie’s executive producers.
28 Days Later
As far as what Cillian Murphy’s role might be like in 28 Years Later, details are still very hush on that topic. In the original ending for 28 Days Later, his character Jim was actually supposed to succumb to his injuries and die in the hospital at the end.
However, test audiences found this ending too bleak so it was changed to have Jim survive. When his character was last seen, it seemed safety might be a possibility again as the infected were beginning to starve off.
More News To Come
One interesting note is that it seems the new movie might be ignoring the continuity of 28 Weeks Later, as it has been stated this will be a sequel to the original. If that is the case, it can at least be surmised that the rage infection either does not wind up dying off or a new outbreak will occur.
With Cillian Murphy’s character becoming something of an expert survivalist by the end of the first movie, it will be intriguing to see what there is to deal with in 28 Years Later.
Source: Deadline
