New details revealed about 28 Years Later reveal that the movie is retconning the cliffhanger ending of 28 Weeks Later. 28 Years Later will show how the United Kingdom has evolved following the events of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. The previous two movies in the zombie series portrayed the earlier days and weeks of the Rage Virus outbreak, but the upcoming 28 Years Later will follow survivors who have lived much of their lives in an abandoned, infected-filled United Kingdom.

Despite signs of hope in the previous two films, the fact that the virus hasn’t been contained proves that the United Kingdom is basically a lost cause. The story of the upcoming 28 Years Later will follow a group of survivors who have formed a cult-like community on an island off the coast of England. The cast of 28 Years Later includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell. While not many details are known about 28 Years Later, recently revealed information suggests that the final scene of 28 Weeks Later will be retconned.

It Sounds Like 28 Years Later Is Pretending The Second Movie’s Ending Didn’t Happen

Zombies Were Seen In Paris At The End Of 28 Weeks Later

The ending of 28 Days Later suggested that the infected were starving, causing them to die off. Therefore, even though 28 Days Later is an extremely depressing movie, the ending provided some hope that the outbreak could be contained. This didn’t end up being the case, however, as 28 Weeks Later followed new characters weeks after the events of the first movie. 28 Weeks Later also suggested that the outbreak could be resolved, but the final scene of the movie immediately took away all hope.

The ending of 28 Weeks Later shows a group of zombies running through the streets of Paris, suggesting that the outbreak was spreading to other European countries. 28 Weeks Later’s ending suggests that the Rage Virus was going to become a worldwide pandemic, but new details about 28 Years Later reveal that’s not the case. A recent report from Empire about 28 Years Later claims that the rest of the world remains unaffected by the outbreak in the United Kingdom, suggesting that the movie is retconning 28 Weeks Later’s cliffhanger ending.

A Global Outbreak Was Also Teased In 28 Days Later

One Line in 28 Days Later Teased The Virus Was Spreading

It is surprising that the rest of the world hasn’t been affected by the Rage Virus, especially since 28 Days Later also teased that the virus was spreading to other countries. In 28 Days Later, Selena claims that there were reports of infected people in major cities like New York and Paris before the TV and radio broadcasts stopped. Therefore, there were clues planted very early in the series that the Rage Virus was essentially going to lead to the collapse of the entire world.

It’s easy enough to explain that these reports from 28 Days Later were simply false, but 28 Weeks Later literally shows zombies running towards the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If the rest of the world is unaffected by the virus in 28 Years Later, this means that the movie needs to explain how France contained the outbreak. If the zombies invading Paris goes unexplained, then this will be a mᴀssive plot hole in the franchise. It would be much better for 28 Years Later to explain how France stopped the virus from spreading, rather than simply ignoring the ending of 28 Weeks Later.

Is 28 Years Later Right To Keep The Outbreak Limited To The UK?

The Rage Virus Has Evolved In 28 Years Later

There must be a reason why the decision was made to only have the Rage Virus outbreak affect the United Kingdom. Therefore, the fact that the U.K. has basically been left to fend for itself will likely play into the story of the upcoming 28 Years Later trilogy. Keeping the outbreak limited to the U.K. also differentiates the franchise from other popular zombie series. In popular media, viruses which create zombies usually affect the entire world, but that is not the case in 28 Years Later.

While the rest of the world has continued to evolve, the U.K. has seemingly been completely abandoned. This seems to suggest that the survivors in the U.K. will have no help from the outside world in the 28 Years Later trilogy. The effects of being abandoned by the world will likely be seen through 28 Years Later’s characters. After all, joining cult-like communities and adopting abstract beliefs is a result of having no one else to turn to. Therefore, 28 Years Later keeping the outbreak limited to the U.K. sets it apart from other zombie movies and TV shows.

Source: Empire