More than two decades after its original release, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is finally getting its long-awaited sequel, with 28 Years Later arriving in cinemas this week.
For those needing a refresher on the original, 28 Days Later is now available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, offering fans the perfect opportunity to revisit the post-apocalyptic horror classic.
28 Years Later releases in cinemas on June 20, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes. Set nearly three decades after the initial outbreak, the story follows a father and son living on an isolated island who are forced to venture into a virus-ravaged world, uncovering horrors far worse than they imagined.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, 28 Days Later first hit screens in 2002, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The film follows Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier who wakes from a coma to discover that a devastating, rage-fueled virus has brought British society to its knees. The movie was widely praised for revitalizing the zombie genre and for its striking visuals, achieved by filming on London’s empty streets at dawn.
Fans online have expressed excitement about revisiting the original. One viewer posted on X: “Finally got around to watching 28 Days Later and WOW,” while another wrote: “FINALLY giving this a go (I know, I know!).”
The franchise continued in 2007 with 28 Weeks Later, a sequel Boyle didn’t direct, starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba, and others. That installment focused on a failed NATO attempt to create a safe zone in London—an effort that quickly collapses after a new outbreak.
