New 28 Years Later trailer released: Here are five things we spotted

There has been a lot of buzz around Danny Boyle’s new film 28 Years Later - but then again any film directed by movie legend Boyle is going to generate a fair bit of hype.

A second trailer for his high-anticipated zombie-horror thriller 28 Years Later has been released. The film follows a post-apocalyptic UK which is plagued by the infected undead, after a rage virus escaped from a lab.

1). It has a pretty starry line up

This might be one the most impressive line ups in cinematic history. It’s beating the Barbie movie and all seasons of Only Murders in the Building combined.

Leading the cast are Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson who play husband and wife survivors, living in a safe community on a tidal island. Ralph Fiennes stars alongside them as fellow survivor, and if the trailer is anything to go by, serves up wisdom and warnings in those iconic reverent tones. Cillian Murphy is not reprising his role in this film, although he is serving as an executive producer.

2). It follows on from the prequels but is still a standalone film

This film might have one of the longest gestation periods on record, having been confirmed back in 2007, following the financial performance of 28 Weeks Later. Although the film follows on from its prequels, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, the story is separate enough to be able to follow it if you haven't seen any of the previous films.

Seeing as people in their early twenties would have been 4-8 years old when the first film was released, it’s likely there will be some newcomers to the franchise.

3). This could be Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Bond audition

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to a good action movie, having starred in Kraven the Hunter in 2024, and was quite literally Kick-Ass back in 2013. However, this film seems like a step up, as Taylor-Johnson takes on the intense action-drama of a man fighting for humanity’s survival. Sound familiar? Whilst this role favours zombies and gore over a tuxedo and martini, it’s still a fairly killer performance that’s sure to get Amazon studios’ bosses raising an eyebrow.

4). The filming style is really varied (in a good way)

As you’d expect there’s a mix of aerial footage, classic up-close action shots and a good bit of editing. Whilst you can tell that there has been some serious production from the trailer you may not be able to tell that they’ve actually used an iPhone 15 Pro Max with the help of specialised attachments. They also used drones, digital cameras and film cameras so there’s going to be a whole mix of cinematography…

5). It’s the start of a new trilogy

If you thought 28 Years Later was the third and final installment of the original trilogy, think again. A sequel - 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was rumoured in early 2024, and confirmed in August 2024 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, when McDonald announced Nia DaCosta would be directing. Macdonald also talked about potential plans for a third 28 Years Later film, saying "we hope there is going to be a third part" and "there is a trilogy". So, watch this space.

• Love Danny Boyle? We ranked his best movies

Main image credit: Sony Pictures