Will it happen? Danny Boyle has been talking about the possibility of a follow on to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later.
Danny Boyle has made many celebrated films that live long in the memory, but none that lurk so menacingly in the dark, shadowy recesses of your mind as 28 Days Later, his terrifying 2002 zombie thriller (although Sunshine gives it a go). Boyle wouldn’t return to helm 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, a solid sequel that furthered the story beyond the original.
There’s been talk of a third film in the series for a long time now: after all, the title practically writes itself. Speaking of writing, the brilliant Alex Garland (who wrote the original but also didn’t work on the sequel), has penned a third instalment and there’s always been a feeling that one day, 28 Months Later would happen.
NME spoke to Boyle to celebrate the original film’s 20th anniversary and the filmmaker confirmed that Garland has written a screenplay for the third film, stating that it has ‘a lovely idea at its core.’ Boyle would also say this about the prospect of returning to the series.
“I’d be very tempted [to direct it]. It feels like a very good time actually. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it and I remembered Bang, this script! which is again set in England, very much about England”.
Boyle added that “one of the things that’s happening in the business at the moment is it has to be a big reason for you to go to the cinema. It’s hard for companies distributing films and for cinema chains to show films, they’re struggling to get people into the cinema unless it’s something like Top Gun: Maverick or a Marvel. But a third part would get people in, if it was half-decent”.
So there you go. Despite seemingly forgetting that it existed until he was prodded, Boyle does have the project somewhere on a shelf (or on a hard drive). Whether he ever gets around to it is another matter, but we’re hoping that amid all of the other projects he’s juggling, he eventually finds time for this one.
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