28 Years Later is coming 23 years after one of the greatest ever zombie movies, 2002’s 28 Days Later, and 18 years after its first (and, previously, only) sequel, which was 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. The new movie will return to a Rage virus-ravaged England, following a new cast of characters (many of whom are played by notable actors including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman, Edvin Ryding, and Jodie Comer) attempting to survive the Infected. However, the new installment has taken an unusual amount of time to come to fruition, especially when compared to similar zombie franchises.

There have been many notable zombie movie franchises, including Resident Evil, [REC], and The Return of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, though their first few installments tend to come at a more regular clip that significantly outstrips the pace of the upcoming 28 Years Later. This is even true for the first modern zombie movie franchise in history, which is George A. Romero’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ series. 1968’s Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ was followed by Dawn of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in 1978 and Day of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in 1985, meaning that the first trilogy in the slow-going series only took 22 years to complete.

28 Days Later Is An All-Time Great Zombie Movie

It Is Packed With Apocalyptic Thrills And Eerie Atmosphere

One thing that makes this long delay in bringing 28 Years Later to the screen even more surprising is the fact that the original 28 Days Later is one of the greatest zombie movies of all time. It tells a thrilling post-apocalyptic story that manages to deliver both adrenaline-pumping fear and contemplative thematic storytelling in equal measure. That may be why it was both a critical and commercial success, earning a Certified Fresh 87% score on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $84.6 million against its reported $8 million budget.

Even though the idea of the Infected being considered proper modern “zombies” can be contentious, 28 Days Later contains everything that a properly iconic zombie movie needs. This includes a virus spreading via bites and bodily fluids, a huge amount of gloomy post-apocalyptic atmosphere (particularly in an eerie scene of Cillian Murphy’s Jim wandering around an empty London after waking up from a coma), and underlying themes about how humanity can be its own worst enemy (as shown by the military encampment that attempts to imprison Jim’s female companions and kill Jim).

Why 28 Years Later Is Only Happening Now (& Why Didn’t We Get 28 Months Later?)

The 28 Weeks Later Sequel Floundered During Development

28 Years Later, which debuts in June 2025, marks the first installment in the franchise in more than a decade, and there is a reason why it has taken so long to come to fruition. A sequel, tentatively тιтled 28 Months Later, was teased as early as 2007, with Boyle confirming that the story had been outlined. However, rights issues delayed the development process, leading the movie to fall into development hell for many years. It wasn’t until June 2023 that the project finally solidified into 28 Years Later, which is intended to be the first installment in a trilogy.

Given this long delay, it makes sense that the premise was moved from “months later” to “years later,” though it may have behooved the filmmakers to wait a few additional years because 2030 marks 28 years after the release of the original movie. Ultimately, it makes sense that the Danny Boyle movie is coming out when it is, however, as there is no telling if the opportunity would still have been there after waiting for even more time.

The difference between the тιтle and the amount of time that has pᴀssed in real life also won’t be an issue, because in the franchise’s universe, development of technology and culture in England will have stopped in 2002, meaning that the movie won’t prove to be anachronistic even if it is technically set in 2030.

28 Years Later Is An Even Bigger Follow-Up To 28 Days Later Than Its First Sequel Was

28 Weeks Later Was Great But Had One Major Demerit

While 2007’s 28 Weeks Later is a terrifying movie in its own right that was also a critical and commercial success (though to a slightly lesser degree), 28 Years Later is set to be an even bigger follow-up. While Weeks also boasted a star-studded cast that included Idris Elba, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, and Imogen Poots, one thing that Years has which that movie lacks is the return of the original team behind the camera.

28 Weeks Later was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Damsel) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rowan Joffé (Before I Go to Sleep), E.L. Lavigne (the producer of The Impossible), and Jesús Olmo (Cold Skin). While the end result was solid, that team cannot compare to the fact that 28 Years Later reunites original director Danny Boyle with screenwriter Alex Garland, which gives the 2025 movie an even stronger chance of resurrecting the terrifying power of 28 Days Later.