28 Years Later Part 3 Is Officially Happening
The Rage virus is proving harder to kill than any infected sprinting full speed at you in a dark underpass, because Sony has officially pulled the trigger on 28 Years Later Part 3, the final entry in the new trilogy. Deadline broke the news, and it arrives just as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple prepares to unleash itself in cinemas next month. Not since the early 2000s have audiences been this excited to watch society crumble at record pace.
This third chapter does not yet have a title, which is unsurprising considering this franchise tends to prioritise terror over naming conventions. But one thing that is locked in is Alex Garland. The original writer behind 28 Days Later and the architect of the Rage virus mythos is returning once again to shape the story’s final descent into chaos. Garland stepping back in guarantees the same brand of bleak humanity and nerve shredding intensity that has defined the series since it first rewired the zombie genre back in 2002.
Even more tantalising is the fact that Cillian Murphy is already in talks to return as Jim. His comeback in The Bone Temple has stirred up enormous hype, especially since Jim hasn’t been seen since that quiet ending in 28 Days Later, where he and fellow survivors tried to carve out a peaceful life in a remote cottage. The franchise promptly ignored peace entirely and instead leaned into scorched earth mayhem with 28 Weeks Later, and now Murphy seems poised to continue Jim’s journey across a world that keeps finding new ways to destroy itself.
To appreciate where Part 3 is headed, it’s worth remembering how enormous this series became. Danny Boyle’s original film changed everything with its terrifying 28-days-later premise, frenetic digital cinematography, and the horrifying realisation that sprinting infected are infinitely scarier than shambling ones. Garland’s script infused the apocalypse with something more insidious than a virus: the awful truth that surviving humanity may actually be the greater threat.
The franchise went quiet for years until Sony revived it with a massively ambitious plan: not one sequel, but a full new trilogy, filmed partially back to back. Boyle returned to direct the first installment of the new trilogy, while the second film, The Bone Temple, is helmed by Nia DaCosta, who previously brought stylish dread to Candyman before tackling Hedda. DaCosta’s installment promises to push the mythology into more disturbing territory, not by expanding the infected, but by showing just how far uninfected people will go to remake the world in their own image.
The Bone Temple is already drawing attention for its bizarre and unsettling narrative threads. Dr Kelson finds himself in a relationship so alarming it has the potential to reshape the entire world, and Spike’s encounter with Jimmy Crystal transforms into a nightmare he cannot shake. It appears the film leans heavily into the idea that the Rage virus is no longer the most dangerous force roaming the landscape. The infected are predictable at least. Human survivors, on the other hand, have developed entire new methods of cruelty and control.
With Part 3 on the horizon, speculation is already building. Boyle has made no secret of his desire to return for the final film and deliver a colossal ending to the universe he helped create. If scheduling allows, we could see Boyle reclaim the director’s chair to close out the trilogy with the same savage energy that made the original a landmark of modern horror.
Sony’s confidence in this continuation is not surprising. The franchise remains one of the most influential horror properties in the last two decades, inspiring countless imitators and redefining what audiences expect from infected apocalypse cinema. Garland returning to steer the last chapter suggests a final act that will tie decades of narrative history together while plunging the world further into despair, moral corruption, and probably at least one scene involving someone sprinting full speed at the camera while screaming.
Whatever direction the unnamed Part 3 takes, it is set to complete a saga that began with a group of activists accidentally releasing a nightmare and snowballed into a global collapse. The Rage virus has outlived governments, borders, scientists, and any semblance of civilisation. It has also outlived our hopes that things might ever get better.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple infects cinemas on January 16, 2026, and Part 3 is officially lumbering (or more accurately, sprinting) into active development. Whether Jim survives another round remains to be seen, but for now, the apocalypse is alive and well.
