Is Cillian Murphy back as a zombie in "28 Years Later"?Getty Images / Sony Pictures Entertainment, YouTube
Cillian Murphy (maybe?) appears in the new trailer for "28 Years Later," which was released today, Tuesday, December 10.
Eagle-eyed fans are pretty convinced that Cork native Murphy pops up - literally - as a zombie at about 1:48 in the chilling new "28 Years Later" trailer.
"28 Years Later" is the third installment of the franchise that began with "28 Days Later" in 2002 and "28 Weeks Later" in 2007.
In "28 Days Later," Murphy plays a courier named Jim who awakens from a coma a month after the so-called 'Rage Virus' was unleashed on London, leaving zombie-like victims in its wake. He joined fellow Irish actor Brendan Gleeson in the flick, as well as Naomie Harris.
Murphy was not a part of the 2007 follow-up film.
Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, and Naomie Harris in the 2002 film "28 Days Later." (Searchlight Pictures)
In the upcoming "28 Years Later" - due to be released on June 20, 2025 - Murphy is listed as executive producer, but his name is not listed as part of the cast nor on the promotional poster for the new film - leaving some to wonder if that's actually him in the new trailer, or if it's all a set-up to be a surprise for fans of both Murphy and the franchise.
Time didn’t heal anything.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunite for #28YearsLater - only in theatres 6.20.25. pic.twitter.com/G7WCldBgEF
— 28 Years Later Movie (@28YearsLaterMov) December 10, 2024
Fueling the speculation that it is Murphy in the "28 Years Later" trailer are Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman's comments to Deadline back in May about the project.
"It’s '28 Years Later,' but not in any way a literal sequel. Great cast, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer…," Rothman said.
When asked if newly-minted Oscar winner Murphy would be in "28 Years Later," Rothman teased: "Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that grows, let me put it that way."
Murphy was photographed on the set of "28 Years Later" earlier this year:
Cillian Murphy found in a 28 years later filming set
byu/Whole_Carob3178 inCillianMurphy
For "28 Years Later," Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle reunites with Academy Award®-nominated writer Alex Garland.
“28 Years Later is “a terrifying new story set in the world created by ‘28 Days Later,’” Sony Pictures says.
The synopsis continues: “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected.
“One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway.
“When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”