Fans weathered a significant wait before the horror flick 28 Years Later, starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes, hit theaters — but is Cillian Murphy part of the cast?
Murphy first appeared as the character Jim in the 2002 film 28 Days Later, which marked the start of the post-apocalyptic franchise’s film adaptations. The first movie chronicled Jim waking up from a coma only to find that a virus had rapidly spread across London, turning people into zombies.
Luckily, Jim was saved by a group of survivors who helped him combat the infected and trek across the country. He ultimately ended up in Cumbria, England, before a jet flew overhead. Viewers were left wondering if the pilot saw him and rescued him.
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Murphy did not return to reprise the character in the sequel 28 Weeks Later. Instead, the second film followed the story of Robert Carlyle’s Don, who got separated from his wife, Alice (Catherine McCormack), 28 weeks after the initial outbreak. Later in the film, when he was reunited with his wife, Don got infected and was later killed by his daughter, Tammy (Imogen Poots). Tammy and brother Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) traveled to France, and 28 days later, a radio message revealed that the virus had spread to Paris.
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The latest installment, 28 Years Later, follows the story of Jamie (Taylor-Johnson) and sick wife Isla (Comer) as they try to navigate life with their son, Spike (Williams), 28 years after the second outbreak. Jamie and Spike encounter several infected while visiting the mainland after leaving their village in Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of England. When Spike finds himself in trouble at the end of the film, a familiar-looking figure saves him — but it’s not Jim.
Us Weekly reveals if Murphy is in 28 Years Later and looks back at the rumors that teased his return before the film was released.
Is Cillian Murphy in ‘28 Years Later’?
Murphy is not in 28 Years Later. However, he did still have a role behind the scenes as an executive producer on the film.
Rumors Spread About Cillian Murphy’s Involvement in ‘28 Years Later’
In the months leading up to the June 20, 2025, premiere of 28 Years Later, a trailer was released. Screenshots from the trailer of a zombie character who looked like Murphy surfaced on the internet. Many believed it was the actor on set wearing zombie makeup as the picture went viral on social media.
“Oh god finally! Was not expecting Cillian Murphy to come back like that! I’m shook!!!” one person wrote on X at the time.
Actor Angus Neill later put the rumors about Murphy’s return as a zombie to bed when he revealed that he was playing the character in question featured in the trailer.
“[Director Danny Boyle] told me he’d always had me in mind for the role,” Neill told The Guardian in December 2024. “So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part.”
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He added, “On set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotize you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”
Boyle later admitted he was told people would confuse the actor in the trailer with Murphy.
“I showed my girlfriend the trailer, and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian,’” he told Empire in January 2025. “I said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”
Cillian Murphy Will Return to the ‘28 Years Later’ Franchise
Boyle confirmed that Murphy will appear in the franchise’s next film, 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple.
“I shouldn’t give away too much. I’ll get killed,” he said in a January 2025 interview with IGN while revealing the news.
Us Weekly
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