28 Years Later already has a sequel and it’s causing confusion

There’s big news concerning a 28 Years Later sequel involving the title and release date, but the mere existence of the movie is causing confusion.

28 Years Later is a belated sequel to 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) that stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Jodie Comer.

Directed by Danny Boyle – from a script he co-wrote with Alex Garland – the movie’s trailer launched 10 days ago, and quickly became an online phenomenon, being watched more than 16 million times and counting.

But it also immediately caused confusion by featuring a figure that looked like Cillian Murphy’s character from the first movie – a theory that was quickly debunked. Now, a sequel title has fans puzzled again.

28 Years Later sequel now has a title and release date

Hot on the heels of that trailer drop, Sony Pictures has announced 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a fast-tracked sequel that’s being directed by Nia DaCosta, whose previous credits include the Candyman remake and The Marvels.

Boyle and Garland are again writing the script, with the film set to hit screens on January 16, 2026, just six months after its predecessor. Which is just under 28 weeks later.

But the similarity in titles and that quick turnaround has got people confused again, thinking the movie directed by De Costa is the same as the movie directed by Boyle.

“My only question is why did we get a trailer when the movie is still a whole other year away” writes one fan, while another Tweets: “Already??? They made both movies at the same time?”

Searchlight Pictures

One person has been annoyed by the lack of consistency in the titles, calling it “A missed opportunity to make a prequel film entitled 28 Months Later – that sort of address the gap between 28 Days Later, [28 Weeks Later] and 28 Years Later.”

The change in directors is also causing issues, with someone asking “Is Danny Boyle directing 28 years later but not the sequel?” and another unsure about the switch: “It’ll be interesting. Usually I don’t like it when a series of films changes directors, but I can be open-minded. I love Danny Boyle. That said, I did not know this was going to be a trilogy.”

’28 Years Later’ will indeed be a trilogy, though there’s no word yet regarding the director of the third film, nor when it will be released.

For more scary stuff, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, as well as our ranking of the top 25 zombie movies.