By MICHAEL GINGOLD
And you won’t have to wait long after the debut of the first 28 YEARS LATER.
Variety reports that Columbia Pictures has set a January 16, 2026 release date for 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, the second film in the revival of the 28 DAYS LATER franchise. Shot back-to-back with the first 28 YEARS LATER, which will open June 20, 2025, THE BONE TEMPLE will be directed by Nia DaCosta (CANDYMAN) from a screenplay by original DAYS scripter Alex Garland. Among the producers are Garland and DAYS director Danny Boyle, with its star Cillian Murphy serving as executive producer.
The initial 28 YEARS LATER (pictured above, trailer below) was directed by Boyle from a Garland script and stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes. The synopsis: “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.” The BONE TEMPLE storyline has yet to be revealed.