While 28 Years Later won’t feature Cillian Murphy’s Jim, the news of 28 Days Later‘s two other character absences doesn’t bode well for his fate. The story of 28 Years Later will expand on the world established by 28 Days Later and its 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, but that doesn’t mean that the belated sequel will share their storylines. Already, the trailer for the sequel makes it clear that 28 Weeks Later will be a post-apocalyptic horror movie whereas both of its predecessors were zombie outbreak movies.
While 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later focused on the Rage Virus’s initial outbreak and containment, 28 Years Later is more concerned with what became of the world after the devastation of the original movies. As such, it is not too surprising to learn that, although 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy is on board as an executive producer for 28 Years Later, his character Jim won’t appear in the sequel. Per producer Andrew Macdonald’s interview with Empire, “He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line.”
Selena & Hannah Not Returning Would Mean A Sad Fate For Cillian Murphy’s Jim
28 Years Later Will Not Include 28 Days Later’s Selena Or Hannah
MacDonald’s comments refer to the fact that 28 Years Later’s sequel, The Bone Temple, has already finished filming and has a release date set for 2026. That follow-up might revive Jim’s story after his absence from 28 Years Later, but the absence of two other pivotal franchise characters makes this seem less likely. 28 Days Later‘s two other main characters, Naomie Harris’ Selena and Megan Burns’ Hannah, made it out of the original movie alive. When viewers last saw them, they awaited rescue in a Cumbrian cottage.
There is little reason to believe the jets sighted in 28 Days Later’s ending spell good news for him, Selena, and Hannah.
In the alternative endings of 28 Days Later, Jim dies from the wounds he obtained while escaping the compound and killing the soldiers. However, the two remaining characters survive every version of the ending, so Hannah and Selena not appearing in 28 Years Later doesn’t bode well for Jim. If Harris and Burns’ characters returned and were confirmed to still be alive and well in the long-awaited sequel, Jim’s comeback would seem more plausible. As it is, it seems vanishingly unlikely.
A Darker Future For Cillian Murphy’s Jim Makes Sense For 28 Years Later
28 Years Later Killing Off Jim Fits The Tone Of The Bleak Series
As much as it would be fun to see Murphy revive his star-making role, it makes a lot of sense for 28 Years Later or its sequels to confirm that Jim didn’t survive the Rage Virus outbreak. The 28 Days Later franchise takes a distinctly dim view of the military’s management of public health crises. As such, there is little reason to believe the jets sighted in 28 Days Later’s ending spell good news for him, Selena, and Hannah.
If anything, the military villains of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later heavily imply that the rescue in 28 Days Later’s ending may not have been a rescue at all. While bleak, this ending to Jim’s story would fit with the tone and themes of the franchise as a whole. As such, 28 Years Later might be better off confirming the off-screen demise of 28 Days Later’s hero.
