Cillian Murphy ‘spotted’ in 28 Years Later trailer
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The initial teaser for the much-anticipated horror film, 28 Years Later, has been released, and fans believe they’ve identified the series' original lead, Cillian Murphy, in a surprising new part.
The Irish actor, who took home the Best Actor award at this year's Oscars for his role in Oppenheimer, portrayed the main character, Jim, in the original film 28 Days Later. Released in 2002, the movie rapidly gained a devoted fanbase and has since become a cult classic.
In the upcoming film, director Danny Boyle is making his comeback to the series, a possibility he alluded to in an interview with The Independent back in 2019.
It's no surprise that the new movie is set 28 years after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. It explores how the survivors are managing in a world that has been ravaged by the infection.
The upcoming film features Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, with the script penned by Alex Garland, known for directing Civil War and Ex Machina.
In 2023, Murphy expressed to The Independent his interest in coming back for the third film. However, while he is credited as an executive producer, he isn't mentioned as part of the official cast in the promotional materials, according to Variety.
Fans believe they may have found a hint pointing to Murphy's role in the movie, and it doesn’t bode well for Jim. In one scene, several lifeless zombies are arranged like scarecrows, and one of them closely resembles Murphy.
On X/Twitter, fans started to enjoy the possibility of seeing Murphy in the horror movie.
Someone made a humorous comment: "Cillian Murphy looks amazing in the first glimpse of 28 Years Later."
One commenter suggested that there might be some unhappy fans regarding the casting choice: "If it's truly Cillian Murphy playing Jim, fans are going to be upset because they've been hoping for his return for years. Cillian Murphy himself has expressed a desire to reprise his role."
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Not everyone is convinced. One fan remarked, "You expect me to believe that Cillian Murphy, who just won an Oscar, is going to pretend to be a zombie in a movie instead of simply reprising his role from the first film? I doubt it."
The movie continues the story from its previous sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which came out in 2007.
In contrast to the original film in the series, which was made on a relatively small budget of only £8 million, the latest sequels are said to have a budget of £75 million for each one.
"28 Years Later" is set to hit theaters on June 20, 2025.
