Sony has released a new trailer for 28 Years Later, the next installment in the post-apocalyptic series from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland. The film revisits a world decimated by the rage virus nearly three decades after it first spread, with a cast led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams.
Taylor-Johnson plays a member of a small survivor community living on an island connected to the mainland by a single, fortified causeway. Isolated from the infected, the group maintains strict control of its territory. When his character crosses into the mainland, he finds that the virus has changed more than just the infected—it has altered the behavior and structure of human survivors as well.
“There are many kinds of death… and some are better than others,” says Fiennes’ character, Dr. Kelson, as scenes of the infected surging through cities and survivors confronting unknown threats flash across the screen. The trailer features soldiers under attack, an overrun church, and scattered images of coded symbols, sparking online speculation about hidden messages.
A haunting rendition of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Boots,” recorded by Taylor Holmes, plays through the footage. The same recording was featured in the first teaser, which premiered in December and quickly became one of the most-viewed horror trailers online, racking up more than 60 million views within its first day.
Boyle, who directed the original 28 Days Later, returns to the franchise after Juan Carlos Fresnadillo directed the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later. Garland, who wrote the first film, also returns for this continuation. The new chapter marks a shift back to the original creative team after a nearly two-decade gap.
Cillian Murphy, star of the original film, serves as executive producer but does not appear in this installment. Boyle, speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, said Murphy is expected to return in a later film. “Like all good things in life, you may have to wait a while for him to make his appearance,” he said during the presentation.
The upcoming release is the first entry in a planned trilogy. The second film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, is scheduled for release in January 2026. Boyle confirmed that financing for the third installment has not yet been secured and urged exhibitors to support the new release to help continue the series.
28 Years Later will be released in theaters on June 20.