28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in cinemas now and stirring up quite the critical buzz. Many fans, who have already seen the film, are calling it the equal of – or even better – than the previous movie. It has also opened to a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. But what about the next chapter in the trilogy?
The third 28 Years Later film was confirmed to be going ahead back in December 2025, with Cillian Murphy in talks to reprise the role of Jim from the original movie. Anyone who has already seen the new film will have an inkling of how that comes to pass, but for now, firm details on the threequel (confusingly, the fifth film in the wider series) are scarce.
Fear not: This page is designed to bring you all the news and information about 28 Years Later 3 – presumably not its final title – as we get it. Below, you’ll find speculation on the release date, a list of the potential cast members, and everything we know about the plot so far. We’ll also be explaining the ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in detail – so consider this a spoiler warning! Howzat?
28 Years Later 3 release date speculation
While there was an 18 year gap between the second and third films in the horror saga, 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple came out just seven months apart.
Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later was released in cinemas on June 20, 2025. Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is out now, having officially released in the UK on January 13, 2026.
Sadly, we’ll have to wait a fair bit longer for the third movie. Although the 28 Years films were planned as a trilogy, the third part was not officially commissioned until late last year, with an official announcement being made on December 10, 2025, in the wake of the strong buzz surrounding early screenings of The Bone Temple.
With the script, once again by Alex Garland, known to have been written, the rumours suggest that 28 Years Later 3 will enter production either later this year or in 2027. With that in mind, we expect that the film will be looking at a late 2027 or 2028 release date. However, it’s worth reiterating, at this time an official release date does not exist.
28 Years Later 3 cast speculation
Officially, no cast members have been 100% confirmed to appear in the third 28 Years film. We can make some pretty solid guesses at who will show up, though.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ends with Spike (Alfie Williams) and Jimmy Ink/Kelly (Erin Kellyman) about to cross paths with Cillian Murphy’s Jim – the main character of the original 28 Days Later. We also briefly met Jim’s daughter Sam, played by Maiya Eastmond. It’s a safe bet that all four of these characters will all return in the third film.
Jim’s return raises a big question: What has happened to Naomie Harris’s character, Selina? The ending of The Bone Temple doesn’t refer to her at all. Presumably she has either died in the intervening years or is simply off screen at the moment Sam and Jim see Spike and Kelly. Harris is a big name and would be a great get for the cast. Still, when asked about the possibility of her returning at the premiere of The Bone Temple, Danny Boyle responded: “At the moment it’s just Cillian.” For now, we’ll put her down as a “maybe.”
Less likely to return is Megan Burns, who played Hannah in 28 Days Later. Burns has retired from acting and now works in the music business. It’s not impossible that she’ll return or that the character could be recast, but it feels unlikely at this point.
Much more likely to be back is Aaron Taylor Johnson as Jamie, Spike’s conflicted father, who entirely sits out The Bone Temple. And given the revelations at the end of the new film, the Alpha Infected nicknamed Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) is sure to return.
Is there a 28 Years Later 3 trailer?
The film hasn’t started shooting yet, so sadly, there is currently no 28 Years Later 3 trailer.
What happened at the end of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
The Bone Temple comes to an explosive conclusion as Jack O’Connell’s “Sir Lord” Jimmy Crystal leads his gang to meet Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who he has convinced them is the literal Devil.
Crystal has previously visited Kelson and coerced him into playing along. Kelson – a confirmed music lover – puts on a show using make-up, fire, and a vinyl copy of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Number of the Beast’ to convince the gang of his infernal nature. He commands the Jimmys to obey Crystal’s leadership and grow their number.
When Kelson realizes that one of the gang is Spike, however, he is horrified. He orders the Jimmys to turn on their leader and crucify him. This leads to a furious Crystal stabbing him. Kelson dies slowly, but lives long enough to be reunited with Samson, who can now speak and who thanks him. Kelson dies in the knowledge that he was right: he seemingly has found a cure for the infection.
Jimmy Ink, meanwhile, turns on Crystal. She kills the rest of the gang, leaving just Spike to stab Crystal. The pair then crucify the wounded villain on an inverted cross. The last we see of the dying Crystal is Samson approaching him, presumably about to finish him off for good. And about time!
Sometime later we cut to an isolated cottage in the Lake District and hear a familiar voice: it’s Jim from 28 Days Later and this is the same house that we last saw him in with Selina and Hannah at the end of that movie. He is living there with his daughter Sam. They hear voices and, looking out of the window, see Spike and Jimmy Ink – also known as Kelly – being pursued by Infected. Sam asks if they should help them and Jim replies, “Of course.”
What will happen in 28 Years Later 3?
At this stage it’s impossible to know what Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have planned for the third film, but when has that ever stopped us from speculating?
Unless something dramatically changes behind the scenes, the next film will certainly be the story of Spike and Kelly meeting Jim and Sam. We’ll presumably find out why Jim wasn’t rescued at the end of 28 Days Later and what has happened to Selina and Hannah in the intervening years.
The first 28 Years Later ended with Spike resolving to keep walking “until I can’t see the sea.” Given that he appears to have moved from Holy Island to the Lake District by the end of The Bone Temple, he’s certainly achieved that goal. He promised to one day return home, so we’re sure to see that come to pass in some form, along with a reunion with his father, Jamie.
There are also now several loose threads concerning the larger fate of the virus. One is Kelson’s research: he appears to have genuinely cured Samson, who seems to have regained his humanity.
The other is Isla, Samson’s baby. Spike’s mother (also called Isla – there are a lot of repeating names in this franchise!) took her from the child’s dead mother and Spike gave her over to the care of the community on Holy Island. Although born of the infected, Isla herself appears to be a normal human child.
With both Samson and Isla in the world, it feels like the pieces are in place for someone to find a cure for the virus. But who will that be? Dr. Kelson is dead and Spike and Jim are not scientists. Still, we’re guessing that someone will find Kelson’s research and use it to try and stop the Rage virus once and for all.
What have the creators and cast said about 28 Years Later 3?
So far, very little. Director Danny Boyle has confirmed (in an interview with Collider) that Cillian Murphy’s Jim is “a very dominant element in the third film” while also telling Time that the third film will tell “a bigger story about redemption.”
The Bone Temple’s director, Nia DaCosta, exclusively revealed to us that she “loved” bringing Murphy’s character back into the 28 Years Later world at the end of her film. “I was so excited to do it. I was like, ‘Yes, I get to do this!’ Like, you know, bring this guy back.'”
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cillian Murphy has also reflected on reprising the character, saying that it was “quite emotional” and noting that “these films still seem to have retained some relevance and people enjoy it still.”
Will there be a 28 Years Later 4?
At this stage, that seems unlikely. The 28 Years Later films were always announced as a planned trilogy, with two initial films and a third to come if the first two were successful.
In terms of plot, it seems likely that the next film may feature a cure for the Rage virus, which could lead to an optimistic – though we’re guessing bittersweet – ending to the series. There’s always the possibility that Boyle or another director could set a film in the 27 years before the current trilogy, of course, but we suspect that, for now, 28 Years Later 3 will be the final film in the trilogy and perhaps the entire five-film saga.
For more on 28 Years Later, you can read our 28 Years Later review as well as our 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review to find out what we made of the two films. You can also keep track of all the upcoming horror movies.
