Summary

If the first 28 Years Later film is successful, Danny Boyle plans to make a trilogy.
Boyle also recently revealed that his 2007 sci-fi film Sunshine was intended to be a trilogy before its lackluster box office.
If 28 Years Later is profitable, it could help reignite Sunshine's original trilogy plans.

Could Danny Boyle's plans for 28 Years Later help resurrect his forgotten sci-fi film starring Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans, which the director originally intended to turn into a trilogy? While it's a big ask, so are the plans fueling the 28 Years Later agenda, which also hopes to be a trilogy of new films in the franchise.

Boyle's eclectic career has seen him tackle numerous genres, and the director even won a Best Director Academy Award for his 2009 drama Slumdog Millionaire. While he has flexed his chops with films like 127 Hours and Trainspotting, Boyle is beloved by horror and sci-fi fans. The director was behind 28 Days Later, which instilled fear thanks to the terrifying fallout of the Rage virus, which was written by Alex Garland. The two are reteaming for 28 Years Later, but they also collaborated on a forgotten 2007 sci-fi called Sunshine.

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By Sandip Kishan Anbuselvan

The 28 Years Later Trilogy Plans, Explained

28 Years Later is the third installment of the franchise that started with 28 Days Later and continued with the underrated 28 Weeks Later. Boyle is now continuing the series with his new sequel that focuses on a group of survivors on a small island, with their seclusion broken by one of them venturing to the mainland, where unknown horrors pit them in a fight for survival. Garland co-wrote the script with Boyle, who also directed the sequel, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Ralph Fiennes, and Jodie Comer.

28 Years Later is also intended to be the start of a new trilogy, as a sequel called 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has already been filmed. Boyle and Garland serve as producers on The Bone Temple, which Garland penned. However, The Marvels and Candyman remake director Nia DaCosta directed the follow-up, which is slated to hit theaters in early 2026. Boyle also recently confirmed that Cillian Murphy, the star of 28 Days Later, will appear in The Bone Temple and the potential third movie.

The third 28 Years Later film still hangs in the balance, as it has not been filmed and requires funding to enter production. If 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple prove successful, the third film will undoubtedly get the green light, bringing the planned trilogy to fruition.

Danny Boyle’s Sunshine Featured A Stellar Cast, And It Was Meant To Be A Trilogy

Boyle directed Sunshine from a script by Garland. The sci-fi movie tells a grandiose story following a team of international astronauts tasked with the perilous mission of rebooting a dying sun with a fission bomb to save the whole of humanity on Earth. Sunshine features a star-studded cast, featuring Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Mark Strong, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Benedict Wong. The movie even boasts similar love from critics and audiences, as it has overwhelmingly positive reviews. However, those who may not enjoy the film tend to point to a tonal shift late in the story that doesn't sit well with some.

Sunshine's budget was reportedly $23 million, which is frightfully small for the epic scale and visual effects that bolster the film. However, much of the cast, including Chris Evans, were still up-and-coming actors at the time, helping keep the cost down. Still, even with great reviews and a sci-fi story that pushes the envelope of human survival, Sunshine only earned $38.9 million at the worldwide box office, with only $3.6 million coming from United States paying audiences.

Despite Sunshine's lackluster returns, Boyle recently revealed in an interview with Collider that their plans for the movie were much bigger, stating, "Alex wrote two other parts. It was supposed to be a trilogy." Given the fate of the characters in Sunshine, Boyle also clarified, "It was a planetary trilogy. It was to do with the sun itself, with two other stories." Given the time that has passed since Sunshine's release, the director was unable to recall much of the exact story, but hinted at "an extraordinary idea in one of them" that he chose not to divulge, as he assumed Garland may yet use it.

It was a planetary trilogy. It was to do with the sun itself, with two other stories.

Could 28 Years Later Help Revive Danny Boyle & Alex Garland’s Plans For Sunshine?

28 years later arron taylor johnson — 28 Years Later - Aaron Taylor-Johnson

While Boyle and Garland hope to get the third 28 Years Later movie off the ground, they both have a bright future, and more Sunshine could be a part of it. Since the release of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, Garland has also begun directing. After he penned and supposedly "ghost-directed" Dredd, Garland went on to helm Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Civil War. He was also recently tapped to write and direct the Elden Ring video game adaptation.

The cast of Sunshine has since exploded, with Evans and Wong both appearing in numerous MCU projects. Michelle Yeoh won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Murphy won a Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, and Sanada is a two-time Emmy winner thanks to the series Shogun. The drawback with the cast comes from how Sunshine plays out, meaning none of them could return for the sequels, unless it dealt with elements prior to their mission departure.

Boyle stated that the sequels would have kept the focus on the sun, and the trilogy would have ultimately shared heavy thematic elements rather than characters. While 28 Years Later still has much to prove regarding box office, the movie's success could show that Boyle's old IPs still carry weight, which has been partially achieved thanks to the record-breaking viewership numbers the trailer for the horror sequel brought in. If 28 Years Later brings in the box office returns the studio hopes for, it should spur the third planned entry in the horror series, and it may just see the director and writer of Sunshine get another chance to brighten the world with their unmade sci-fi sequels.

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