MUMBAI: After more than two decades, the virus is back — and so is Danny Boyle. The visionary director who helped redefine the zombie genre with 28 Days Later returns to the universe he helped create, this time with a fresh perspective shaped by time, change and a world that's lived through its own version of contagion.
"We hadn’t really thought about returning to it," says Boyle. "28 Days Later has always lingered because people have such affection for it, but we never planned a follow-up until Alex Garland came up with a wonderful idea."
That idea came like a short story. "It had a real simplicity and beauty to it," Boyle recalls. "We kept talking, and it began to make sense. The timing felt right. The pandemic had happened, and the idea of a global reset didn’t feel so far-fetched anymore."
What draws Boyle back is not just the chaos. "What I love about this world is that it always contains some strange sense of hope. It’s about survival, but also rediscovery."
Boyle also praises the cast, both returning and new. "It’s wonderful to have Cillian Murphy back. He’s such a magnetic presence, and he carries that history with him." Murphy reprises his role as Jim, the bike courier who first woke up into an abandoned London all those years ago. "But we also have a new generation stepping in, and they bring something raw and immediate. That contrast is very powerful."
The new cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Jack O’Connell, all of whom bring, in Boyle’s words, “a different charge” to the film. "You’re watching these young actors just grab the screen. They’re fearless. That energy gives the film a different charge. It doesn’t feel like nostalgia — it feels urgent."
On working with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Boyle adds, "Aaron has real presence, both physical and emotional. He gives you depth without saying much. That’s a rare quality — and so vital in a world like this, where every gesture counts."
Working again with writer Alex Garland was essential. "Alex doesn’t write for spectacle. He’s always chasing an idea." Boyle adds, "Fear never really changes. That primal feeling — being hunted, watched, alone — it’s timeless."
Still, amid all the horror, Boyle looks for something more. "It’s easy to make things grim. What’s harder is to find moments of grace. A touch. A joke. A shared silence. That’s what I’m drawn to."
Sony Pictures releases 28 Years Later in India on June 20th
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