28 Years Later producer gives disappointing update on Cillian Murphy’s involvement

10 January 2025

Cillian Murphy will not appear in ’28 Years Later’.

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later

The 48-year-old actor starred in director Danny Boyle’s original 2002 horror flick ’28 Days Later’ as survivor Jim and is due to serve as executive producer on the first entry in the ’28 Years Later’ trilogy, though producer Andrew Macdonald has revealed Murphy will not be reprising his role for the upcoming flick.

Speaking with Empire magazine, Macdonald said: “[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.

“He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy.”

Speculation about Murphy’s on-screen involvement in ’28 Years Later’ began after the trailer depicted a zombie that fans thought looked like the ‘Oppenheimer’ star, though it was later revealed that art dealer Angus Neill was the zombified character.

Even so, Boyle – who is reuniting with ’28 Days Later’ writer Alex Garland for the upcoming movie – didn’t think fans would mistake the walker for Murphy.

The director joked: “I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly.’

“I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”

’28 Days Later’ – which also starred Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston and Brendan Gleeson – followed Murphy’s Jim as he awakes from a coma only to discover Britain has been plagued by a terrible pandemic known as the Rage Virus, in which those affected turn into murderous zombies.

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