The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance for years now, to the joy of fans like me. Some of the best horror movies returned with new sequels, including 28 Days Later. That horror franchise has released two movies in quick succession: 28 Years Later and its sequel The Bone Temple. The latter featured Cillian Murphy’s return for the first time since the 2002 original, but is a threequel on its way? Here’s what the actor himself has said recently.
Murphy was confirmed to appear in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ahead of its release, and fans of the apocalyptic series were thrilled. His brief scene was thrilling, and moviegoers want him to step back into the spot light for the planned third movie. But is that title actually being produced? In a recent interview with The Times, the outlet claimed the third 28 Years movie was in it’s “planning stages”, and when the Oscar-winning actor was asked if the movie was still happening he said:
Hope so! I’m ready anyway.
While this isn’t any concrete information about when production might actually begin, it sounds like Murphy thinks he’ll once again be reprising his role as Jim in a sequel to The Bone Temple. So perhaps the threequel is still happening, despite fan concerns that the studio is dropping the horror franchise. Fingers crossed that we hear more concrete news sooner rather than later.
The question about whether or not this planned threequel was actually going to be produced came after Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple bombed at the box office. Despite how critics praised The Bone Temple (and how well the first movie did) it failed to make money. And as such, cinephiles are worried that we won’t ever get to see Alex Garland’s previously announced third title.
In the final moments of The Bone Temple, Cillian Murphy’s Jim is seen in the cabin from the first movie, tutoring his teenage daughter Sam about history. They suddenly hear some noise coming from outside, and watch as Spike and Kellie are attempted to escape from a group of infected. They seemingly decide to step in an help, setting up a thrilling crossover for longtime fans of the 28 Days Later franchise.
Murphy finally playing Jim again was exciting, even if it was only a cameo. And if a third 28 Years Later movie doesn’t actually end up being produced, it would be a huge bummer. After all those years of waiting for the Oppenheimer actor to finally pop back up in the apocalyptic series, hopefully the studio doesn’t decide to drop the property.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is available to purchase or rent from home as part of the 2026 movie release list. Fingers crossed that a third movie is greenlit sooner rather than later.
