Horror fans are nothing if not resilient, willing to wait what seems like an eternity for the continuation of their favorite stories—whether that be a follow-up, a revival, or a new adaptation entirely. That is why this news, coming 24 years after the original film, is so devastating to fans who only just got one of their favorite horror icons back earlier this year, when he appeared onscreen at the end of the franchise’s fourth installment.
Fans discovered that Murphy’s Jim had, in fact, survived the insanity of the apocalypse when he popped up at the end of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, homeschooling his daughter in the fortified home he’d moved them into and rushing to the rescue of the film’s escaped protagonists. It was also announced that the actor was in talks to appear in the next part of the franchise, solidifying The Bone Temple films as a trilogy. But speaking at the London Film Festival, creator Danny Boyle said, “It’s on the back burner at the moment.”
According to Boyle, the project still needs financing to move forward, and the director also hopes screenwriter Alex Garland will return. “Alex has been off doing his own film, which is a huge project,” he said, referencing the live-action Elden Ring that Garland is writing and directing for A24. Some fans, however, doubt the aforementioned financing will ever come through, especially given the audience’s reaction to the shocking introduction of the Jimmies in 28 Years Later, as well as Boyle’s recent AI controversy with his film Ink, where he admitted to using generative AI in the film.
“Introducing The Jimmies the way he did was ultimately the worst decision Boyle has made as a filmmaker (before the AI nonsense in his current film). The whiplash in tone was so jarring it made most people HATE that first movie. That’s all anyone talked about on here and other social media platforms, I noticed, looking back at the original release of Years. Both movies are great in their own way. But if you lose the audience, then they aren’t coming back for a sequel, which is what we saw here,” said one fan, summing up the issues that might be halting a studio from backing the next 28 Years Later project.
These issues are at the forefront of the conversation when it comes to continuing the film, even amongst the most die-hard fans of the franchise. And while there isn’t a single person who doesn’t want to see Cillian Murphy return as Jim, the character that started it all in what is arguably the best movie of the bunch, it seems that it might be an uphill battle to make that happen in a timely manner—if at all.
