8 Things 28 Years Later’s Trailer Reveals About What Happened After The Last Movie

Sony Pictures Entertainment recently released the first trailer for the new installation of the 28 Days Later series, 28 Years Later, and there are some shocking moments that have already caught fans’ attention. The first movie of the new trilogy is set to come out in the summer of 2025, and it includes some familiar faces, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes. The new 28 Years Later trailer makes the series look scarier and more exciting than ever before.

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Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in the upcoming 28 Years Later movie as Jamie, a survivor living on a remote island in the United Kingdom who ventures off the island on a mission but encounters a lot of problems along the way. The trailer features a very disturbing rendition of the poem Boots over scenes that show even more decay and chaos than were present in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Aside from the new and very intriguing characters who appear in the trailer, 28 Years Later features several reveals about how things have changed since the last movie.

8 The UK Is Still Dealing With The Rage Virus

The Country Is Still Overrun By The Infected

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Following the events of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later shows that the UK is still overrun by people infected with the Rage Virus. In the original movie, Cillian Murphy’s character Jim wakes up to find that London has become a scene of chaos and that seemingly crazed people chase him through the streets, before learning the truth about the virus. However, by the end of the first movie, the infected are shown starving and he and his companions are rescued seemingly, pointing to a more positive future.

Based on the
28 Years Later
trailer, it seems that, during the intervening years, the virus did not die out as suggested by the first movie, but continued to spread as shown in the second.

In contrast, the ending of 28 Weeks Later was much more negative, showing that the virus had infected continental Europe as well. It can be assumed that the continued spread of the virus led to the world that 28 Years Later depicts. Based on the 28 Years Later trailer, it seems that, during the intervening years, the virus did not die out as suggested by the first movie, but continued to spread as shown in the second. In fact, the world of 28 Years Later appears even more dystopian than the one that Jim woke up in.

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7 A Small Community Of Survivors Appeared On Holy Island

The Isolated Island Is A Perfect Spot For Survival

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The 28 Years Later trailer showcases Holy Island, a real place in the north of England that has access to the mainland via one causeway. The community is very isolated, especially during high tide, making it the perfect place to stay safe from the infected. The causeway and the defenses that they have installed help protect the island. But Taylor-Johnson’s character is shown leaving, so it seems that it is also possible for community members to leave the island if necessary.

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This is also interesting because in the previous two films there were small bands of survivors who found each other or were placed together through military intervention, but this is the first big community. The trailer shows a functioning society on Holy Island that includes different jobs and shows that the people there seem to be friendly with each other. It will be interesting to see how 28 Years Later contrasts the community created on Holy Island with the chaos that Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie seems to find on the mainland.

6 28 Years Later Will Bring Back The Series’ Militaristic Themes

Soldiers Feature Prominently In The Trailer

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Criticisms of the military and government were massive parts of the first two movies in the series, and the trailer for 28 Years Later seems to show that this theme will reappear. The military presence in 28 Days Later, led by Christopher Eccleston’s Major Henry West, represented the corruptness of the military and their desire to take advantage of the chaos created by the Rage Virus. Similarly, Idris Elba’s General Stone in 28 Weeks Later serves as a critique of the incompetence, or simply the disinterest in the well-being of others, of military personnel.

Mackintosh Muggleton as Andy and Imogen Poots as Tammy in 28 Weeks Later; Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Days Later Related 28 Years Later Is Repeating A Surprise Change 28 Weeks Made To The Original Movie

28 Years Later’s story will likely be significantly different from its predecessors, but it’s surprisingly repeating a change made by 28 Weeks Later.

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While the trailer leaves it unclear exactly what form the criticism will take, the appearance of soldiers throughout the trailer makes it likely that there will be some similar message in 28 Years Later. The military and government may still be exercising some form of control and protection on the mainland that the island community comes in contact with. However, as with the twists in the previous films, the trailer leaves it unclear whether the soldiers’ presence is truly altruistic or if there is another aim that will later come to light.

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5 The Trailer Calls Into Question Jim’s Fate At The End Of 28 Days Later

There Are Several Nods To The Character

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At the end of the original movie, Cillian Murphy’s Jim, along with Selena and Hannah leave a help message to be seen by passing planes and are finally rescued, tending toward a more positive future for the characters. However, the 28 Years Later trailer leaves several hints about his fate. First, the name Jimmy can be seen carved into the body of an infected that Taylor-Johnson’s character encounters. Second, Jimmy is written again on the side of a barn shown in the trailer. While it is unclear whether Jimmy refers to Jim from 28 Days Later, it certainly seems possible.

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Additionally, there are already questions about Cillian Murphy possibly being in 28 Years Later, as there’s an infected in the trailer that has some resemblance to Jim. The figure is shown slowly sitting up in a field with other characters sitting in the foreground. While there is no confirmation that this figure is Murphy, the facial features of the infected do draw comparisons to Jim in the original.

Aaron Taylor Johnson in 28 Years Later and Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Days Later Related Is Cillian Murphy’s Jim Hidden In 28 Years Later’s Trailer?

Since it was confirmed Cillian Murphy’s Jim would return in 28 Years Later, it’s hard not to wonder whether he is actually in the movie’s new trailer.

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However, since Cillian Murphy’s name seems to be attached to both 28 Years Later and the second movie in the new 28 Years trilogy, it seems odd that he would be one of the infected. Unless the movie also throws in the twist that the infected are more sentient now than in the previous 2 movies, it is more likely that Murphy plays another role that is simply not featured in the trailer to keep it a secret from fans speculating about his return.

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4 The Survivors On The Mainland Have Become More Animalistic

Their Situation Is Likely Scarier Than That Of Survivors On The Island

Ralph Fiennes in 28 Years Later

Just as the community on the island has defenses, survivors on the mainland defend themselves as well, but their situation is likely much worse. While the island has only one route on and off and that is often flooded because of high tide, survivors on the mainland likely have to be on higher alert all the time. The differences between life on the island and on the mainland could have led to a divergence in the behavior of the two groups that is hinted at in the 28 Years Later trailer through the images of the island community and the contrasting wild survivors and military people that Jamie encounters.

However, once Jamie leaves the island, the trailer begins showing much more disturbing scenes, including an infected hung upside down from the ceiling and Ralph Fiennes’ character covered in what appears to be blood.

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Compared to the military and cult-like ways of living for the mainland survivors, the island community seems relatively peaceful. The trailer shows a job board for the community and the inhabitants seem to know each other. However, once Jamie leaves the island, the trailer begins showing much more disturbing scenes, including an infected hung upside down from the ceiling and Ralph Fiennes’ character covered in what appears to be blood. These images could point to the much more harsh lifestyle that these survivors have had to lead.

3 Likewise, The Infected Have Become Larger And Stronger

The Rage Virus Evolved After 28 Weeks Later

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While in the first two 28 Days franchise movies the infected were normal people before contracting the Rage Virus, the infected in 28 Years Later seem to have become something not quite human. The 28 Years Later trailer shows several images of the infected in which they appear to be much larger than an average person. In particular, one scene shows Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character running from a figure that appears to be nearly twice his height.

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Likewise, in a sequence showing soldiers walking cautiously through a darkened room, one soldier is picked up off the ground by something from above, and he disappears while firing his gun into the darkness. At the same time, another soldier is shown looking on, terrified, at something above him. These scenes prove that the infected in 28 Years Later are both larger than a person and much stronger as well, making them even more terrifying for the survivors who have to face them.

2 Some Survivors Have Formed A Cult

Creepy Masks And Bone Structures Appear In The Trailer

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One of the most surprising reveals in the 28 Years Later trailer is the existence of a cult that seems to revolve around the worship of bones or the dead. There are multiple images of a very creepy, but intriguing, temple or altar made entirely of human bones that several characters are shown approaching. The size of the altar implies that it would have taken a long time to construct and many deaths.

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In a different scene, a large group, likely a congregation, can be seen wearing masks and raising a boy up above their heads. Neither 28 Days Later nor 28 Weeks Later include any elements like this, so it seems likely that this cult is something that developed during the spread of the Rage Virus over the past 28 years.

It is unclear whether Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie and the teen boy that he has on a mission with him are part of the cult or just encounter it, since the cult does not appear in any scenes before they have left the island.

It is unclear whether Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie and the teen boy that he has on a mission with him are part of the cult or just encounter it, since the cult does not appear in any scenes before they have left the island. It is definitely disturbing and raises a lot of questions about 28 Years Later as well as its sequel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple. However, given the title of the latter, it seems safe to assume that the cult and its purpose will be explored further in the series’ future movies.

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1 The Society in 28 Years Later Appears To Have Lost Contact With Other Countries Completely

The World Looks Even More Post-Apocalyptic And Wild Than In The Previous Films

Lindisfarme or Holy Island in 28 Years Later trailer-1

In the previous two films in the 28 Days series, there was still some level of communication between people in different places, particularly via the military or government attempting to help pass information to survivors. However, the ending of the second movie confirmed that the Rage Virus had spread to continental Europe, meaning that communication could be further wiped out. While these two films were certainly post-apocalyptic in nature, they chronicled the beginning of a meltdown rather than what society would look like years after collapse.

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Given that 28 years have passed since the virus’s outbreak, it makes sense that 28 Years Later would take a different tone than its predecessors. Rather than focusing on trying to maintain society as it was prior to the outbreak, they have formed an entirely new society which appears not to have any means of communication with the outside world, if an outside world still exists. While it is possible that 28 Years Later could still include foreign help and communication as 28 Weeks Later did, it might make more sense for the series to move in a unique direction.

28 Years Later Temp Movie Poster

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28 Years Later Not RatedHorror

28 Years Later is the tentative title for the third film in the “28 Days Later” franchise, initially conceived by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. Originally expected to be titled “28 Months Later,” the film still hasn’t been officially confirmed, but preliminary work on a script has reportedly been underway.

Director Danny Boyle Writers Danny Boyle , Alex Garland Cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jodie Comer , Cillian Murphy , Jack O’Connell , Ralph Fiennes Release Date June 20, 2025 Franchise(s) 28 Days Later