28 Years Later officially moving ahead with Danny Boyle returning to direct

28 Years Later, the highly anticipated follow-up to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, is now officially moving forward, with legendary director Danny Boyle returning to helm the project.

2002’s 28 Days Later is often regarded as one of the greatest Zombie flicks of all time. The rapid infections and threateningly fast undead serving to reinvigorate the genre. Although fans got a sequel in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, the follow-up failed to replicate the feeling as a completely new crew took over.

Now, after years of rumors and speculation, a new entry is finally moving ahead. Not only that, but the team of Danny Boyle in the director’s seat and Alex Garland penning the script reunites the original 28 Days duo.

28 Years Later is reportedly in the works, with the team set to shop around not only this new sequel, but a possible new trilogy in the Zombie franchise to boot.

News of the highly-requested sequel comes by way The Hollywood Reporter, whose sources claim Boyle and Garland are set to convene with a range of production companies and streaming platforms this week to strike a deal.

The current plan is seemingly to have Boyle direct the first entry in this new trilogy, 28 Years Later, with Garland writing all three chapters. Reportedly, they’re seeking a budget of around $75 million for each installment.

Exactly where the films land is anyone’s guess for now, though the crew is clearly committed to the Zombie franchise once again, 22 years on from their previous work together.

As it’s obviously very early days yet, there’s no quite telling who else may be involved in the project. While the original all but served as Cillian Murphy’s breakout performance, there’s no guarantee the Oppenheimer star would return in his role as Jim. A full 28 years removed from the outbreak, who’s to know if his character is still alive.