- Cillian Murphy will not appear in 28 Years Later
- Internet was convinced he was involved after first trailer dropped
- Murphy may appear in later films in the planned trilogy
Disappointing news for Cillian Murphy fans – he won’t be reprising his role as Jim in forthcoming horror reboot 28 Years Later, a producer has confirmed.
Many people were convinced Murphy would be appearing in 28 Years Later after the first trailer dropped late last year. In it, an emaciated zombie appeared with high cheekbones – and it quickly went viral as people speculated that it could be Murphy and that something nasty had happened to his character.
However, it turned out that it wasn’t the Irish star, but an extra, an art dealer-turned-actor named Angus Neill.
Cillian Murphy absence in 28 Weeks Later explained
Despite this misdirection, it was still hoped that Murphy would be appearing in 28 Weeks Later. But now a producer on the film has dashed those hopes. Talking to Empire, producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed that Murphy will not be appearing, at least not in this film.
Macdonald said that Murphy wanted to be involved in the movie, and the team behind it also wanted him to be involved. “He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line,” he said.
Instead, Murphy’s role is restricted to being behind the scenes as an executive producer. “I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy,” Macdonald added.
So fans can hope that Jim may pop up in the sequel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, which has already been shot and is due out in 2026. He could also appear in a third film, although this has yet to be greenlit – whether it goes ahead will depend on the reception the first film receives.
28 Years Later
While Murphy is not appearing in 28 Years Later, fans still have plenty to look forward to. The movie, written and directed by the original creative team of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle, has a heavyweight cast, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Erin Kellyman.
28 Years Later will hit theaters on June 20. You can read all we know about 28 Weeks Later here.
