Cillian Murphy ‘spotted’ in 28 Years Later trailer

2 days ago

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28 Years Later - Figure 1 — Photo The Independent

The initial trailer for the highly anticipated horror film, 28 Years Later, has been released, and viewers believe they've recognized the series' original lead, Cillian Murphy, in a surprising new role.

The Irish actor, who took home the Best Actor award at this year's Oscars for his role in Oppenheimer, starred as the main character, Jim, in the original 28 Days Later film. When it premiered in 2002, it quickly gained a dedicated following and became a cult classic.

The upcoming film will bring back director Danny Boyle to the series, a possibility he alluded to in a 2019 interview with The Independent.

It's not hard to figure out, but the latest movie is set 28 years after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. It explores how the survivors are managing in the aftermath of a world changed by infection.

The upcoming film features Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes and is penned by Alex Garland, the director behind Civil War and Ex Machina.

In 2023, Murphy expressed to The Independent that he would be interested in coming back for the third movie. However, while he is not mentioned as an official cast member in the promotional content, he is credited as an executive producer, according to Variety.

28 Years Later - Figure 2 — Photo The Independent

Nonetheless, fans believe they’ve found a hint regarding Murphy's role in the movie, and it's not promising for Jim. In one scene, a group of lifeless zombies is set up like scarecrows, and one of them bears a remarkable likeness to Murphy.

On X/Twitter, fans started to enjoy themselves by speculating about the possible appearance of Murphy in the horror movie.

Someone quipped, “Cillian Murphy looks amazing in the first glimpse of 28 Years Later.”

One more viewer suggested that there might be some dissatisfaction regarding the casting choice: "If that's really Cillian Murphy playing Jim, fans are going to be upset because they've been hoping for his return for years, and Cillian Murphy has mentioned that he'd be eager to come back."

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Some people are skeptical. "Are you saying that Cillian Murphy, who just won an Oscar, is going to act as a zombie in a movie instead of reprising his role from the first one? I don’t believe that," commented one fan.

The movie continues the story from the previous sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which came out in 2007.

In contrast to the original film in the franchise, which was made for a relatively small budget of only £8 million, the latest sequels are said to have a budget of £75 million each.

28 Years Later is set to hit theaters on June 20, 2025.