Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have finally returned to the 28 X Later universe with 28 Years Later, skipping the presumed 28 Months Later entirely. The 28 Days Later universe began all the way back in 2002 when a successful, but relatively unknown director, named Danny Boyle, teamed up with a novelist named Alex Garland to make 28 Days Later. Starring the equally unknown Cillian Murphy, 28 Days Later is an unconventional zombie movie that trades the living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for rage-infected humans whose hunger and hatred are indistinguishable.

Despite being a small film, 28 Days Later made a major impact. It helped launch the careers of the three people at the center and has long been held up as a major contributing factor to the glut of fast zombie movies that have prevailed in the 21st century. Beyond the monsters it introduces, it’s also an incredibly тιԍнт and thrilling adventure through a calamity, with incredible and moving performances from everyone who appears. 28 Weeks Later came five years later, and when 28 Months Later failed to materialize, the franchise was thought ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Then 28 Years Later came along.

What Is 28 Years Later About?

28 Years Later Centers On An Isolated Village

28 Years Later is set, as the тιтle implies, 28 years after the outbreak of the Rage Virus that decimated England, and later moved to mainland Europe. After the initial outbreak, the government in the United Kingdom collapsed, and other countries have either been destroyed or are in lockdown. One UK group has managed to survive by keeping to a small island connected by a heavily defended causeway.

A father and son from the community are tasked with going to the mainland on a mission, and there, they discover wonders and horrors that they never imagined in their isolated community. Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell star while the original film’s lead, Murphy, will not be returning.

Why Isn’t It Called 28 Months Later

Garland Changed The тιтle When He Brought It To Danny Boyle

Skipping 28 Months Later for 28 Years Later may seem like an odd choice, particularly as it hasn’t even been 28 years since the original movie’s premiere. The film’s writer, Garland, did want to тιтle the film 28 Months Later, telling IGN back in 2015,

“It’s more likely to be 28 Months than 28 Years. 28 Years gives you one more place to go. 28 Decades is probably taking the piss.”

In Garland’s mind, he had enough time and energy for at least two more 28 Days Later films, but as other obligations have stacked up, he’s changed his tune. More recently about the тιтle, Garland said (via Inverse),

“But a few years ago an idea materialized in my head for what would be really 28 Years Later. Danny always liked the idea.”

It seems that time has allowed Garland to accept that his film also needs more time, and 28 Months Later was simply pᴀssed over in favor of the next step in the movie universe’s arc.

How The Time Gap Impacts The Movie

28 Years Later Is A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Film Rather Than A Disaster Film

The тιтle change from 28 Months Later to 28 Years Later dramatically shifts what the film would have been about. 28 Days Later is a disaster film, observing the initial stages of the outbreak and society’s fall. 28 Weeks Later is also a disaster film, with the effects of the virus still reverberating and even getting worse. 28 Months Later could have also been a disaster, post-apocalyptic horror, taking place only a little over two years after the outbreak. By setting the movie almost three decades later, 28 Years Later sits firmly in the post-apocalyptic survival genre.

With 28 years having pᴀssed since the first film (minus 28 days), 28 Years Later will be much more about how the world has grown to accommodate the infected. In that way, it’s likely to be closer in tone to The Last of Us than the original 28 Days Later. This large time gap will allow for the story to expand more thoughtfully and slowly than in the breakneck first two movies.