28 Years Later might finally be capping off a trilogy originating from a Danny Boyle film, but Sunshine was also originally meant to have the same honor, once upon a time. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are a director/writer duo perhaps best known for 28 Days Later, the zombie film that changed the genre forever by ditching the slow, shambling zombies of George A. Romero’s films and replacing them with terrifying infected that sprint towards their prey in a bloody rage. The upcoming 28 Years Later will return to this world after almost two decades since 28 Weeks Later.
While Danny Boyle’s filmography rarely dabbles in sequels, the story of the Rage Virus is popular and intriguing enough to warrant such special treatment. However, 28 Days Later isn’t the only film Boyle made with a sequel in mind, with the 2007 film Sunshine also apparently being made with a trilogy in mind initially. Sunshine takes place in a future in which the sun is in danger of going out for good. A crew of intrepid astronauts is sent on a mission to blow up an experimental bomb in space to kickstart the celestial body.
Sunshine Was Originally Planned As A Trilogy
But Perhaps Wasn’t Successful Enough To Warrant One
According to an interview with Danny Boyle hosted by Collider promoting the upcoming 28 Years Later, writer Alex Garland originally intended for Sunshine to be a trilogy of films. Now an A-list filmmaker in his own right thanks to films like Ex Machina and Annihilation, Alex Garland collaborated with Boyle, penning the scripts for 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, and Sunshine. In the interview with Collider, Boyle praises Garland’s natural affinity for continuing stories, as with 28 Days Later, claiming the same craft was meant to be applied to Sunshine.
Boyle is тιԍнт-lipped about any details for the two supposed sequels to Sunshine Alex Garland has already written, stating he can’t spill too much about a certain great idea pertaining to the first sequel “Because Alex might use it again.” Boyle was at least willing to divulge that the trilogy was meant to be a “planetary” one, with each entry revolving around a particular planet or celestial body like the sun. He mentioned space travel colonization in the supposed sequels on an “Elon Musk scale”, predicated on “the idea of looking outside and moving.”
Sadly, these sequels have yet to be given any chance to come to light. Sunshine was a financial failure, earning a paltry $34.8 million at the box office against a budget of $40 million. Critical opinion on the film was relatively mixed, with some enjoying Boyle and Garland’s penchant for grounded science fiction, but others decrying it as a film that suddenly changes genres partway through, going from a straightforward space odyssey movie to a slasher horror film when the crew picks up the deranged Captain Pinbacker.
Producer Tim Rothman And Danny Boyle Had A Falling Out Over Sunshine
Apparently Only One Of Many
Boyle remarked that producer Tim Rothman, now the president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, had a different vision as to why sequels for Sunshine didn’t move forward. Regardless of the film’s poor financial performance, Rothman allegedly took issue with the relatively dour ending that saw most of the major characters killed off. In particular, he expressed frustration at the small bit of hope offered by Michelle Yeoh’s character, the steward of the oxygen garden, only for her to be killed by Pinbacker.
Danny Boyle went on to admit that this creative disagreement was only one of “a number of fights” he’s gotten into with Tim Rothman over the years. The story of Sunshine seems to be a particular sore spot, however, with Boyle describing their disagreement leading to a “big blowout“. Considering the dire financial return of the film, it’s likely that Rothman felt justified in his criticism and refusal to move forward with a sequel.
Sunshine’s Chances Of Getting A Sequel
Still Tragically Slim
Over the years, Sunshine has become something of a cult classic, with more retrospective reviews admiring the bittersweet tone and star-studded cast, not many of whom were nearly as famous in 2007 as they are now. With the 28 Days Later series finally being revisited after almost 20 years thanks to the upcoming 28 Years Later and subsequent planned follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, it doesn’t seem impossible for Sunshine to crest the horizon again. However, it’s important to remember 28 Days Later was far more popular and influential right out of the gate.
With the 28 Days Later series finally being revisited after almost 20 years thanks to the upcoming 28 Years Later and subsequent planned follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, it doesn’t seem impossible for Sunshine to crest the horizon again.
In reality, there aren’t any current known development plans for a Sunshine sequel, and the relatively obscure science fiction fan favorite likely doesn’t have a strong enough following to support finally developing Alex Garland’s idea for a trilogy in the current dire financial landscape of the film industry. Stranger things have happened, but fans of the film shouldn’t be holding their breath. Regardless, it’s nice to know that Alex Garland had a plan for Sunshine as a series, and Danny Boyle didn’t regret missing out on 28 Weeks Later to film it.
Source: Collider
