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Cillian Murphy will return to the 28 Days Later franchise, as confirmed by director Danny Boyle. The Oscar-winning actor starred as Jim, the survivor of the original outbreak, in the first movie. However, his character doesn't return in the third movie of the film series, 28 Days Later, which hit movie theaters on June 20, 2025.
Boyle, who directed the first film and the 2025 sequel, however, has some news about Murphy's return to the franchise. For those eager to see Jim in the post-apocalyptic horror film series, he will appear in the second movie of the current cycle, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, scheduled for release in 2026.
Boyle confirmed the plan to reprise Cillian Murphy's character from 28 Days Later in an interview with IGN, published on June 3, 2025. He said:
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"He is in the second one. I shouldn't give away too much. I'll get killed."
While the extent of Murphy's screen time in The Bone Temple remains a mystery, it was implied that the Oscar-winning actor will be a key character in the third film, aka the sequel to The Bone Temple. Cillian Murphy remains affiliated with the new film, where he's also one of the executive producers.
More about Cillian Murphy's return to the 28 Days Later franchise
Cillian Murphy's onscreen return in the 28 Days Later franchise will happen in the second movie in the new trilogy, The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta. It will be released in January 2026, and according to director Danny Boyle, there's a "very satisfying introduction" of his character in DaCosta's movie.
The third movie of the trilogy is expected to feature "plenty more" of Murphy's character. Boyle explained that the three films have connecting characters. Like how Alfie Williams' Spike is introduced in the first movie, it's how Cillian Murphy's Jim will be introduced in the second film before becoming a central figure in the third installment.
However, according to Boyle in the same interview with IGN, they don't have the budget for the film yet, and everybody is still waiting for that, "including Cillian."
"We haven't got the money for the third one yet. It will depend how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully if we do ok, they'll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody's standing by for that, really. Including Cillian," he said.
As for how much screentime the Oscar-winner's role will get in that third movie, Boyle told Indiewire in an exclusive interview, published on June 3, 2025, that it's going to be "significant."
"It doesn't take a genius to work out there's going to be a big role for Cillian Murphy in it. Yeah, a significant role," he said.
He also clarified that Cillian Murphy will be playing the same character from the original film. Without giving away the final movie in the trilogy, Boyle shared DaCosta's perspective on the thematic focus of each movie in the series. He told the outlet:
"She said, 'Well, I think the first one is about the nature of family. The second one's about the nature of evil. And the third one is about the nature of redemption.'"
He added that the idea for the third film has been "mapped out" and it's a "very smart use" of Murphy's character. The director also emphasized that a solid box office performance from 28 Years Later could go a long way in securing the budget for the third installment.
28 Years Later is currently in movie theaters.
