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18th May 2024
11:20am BST
Cillian Murphy will appear in the upcoming 28 Years Later movie, it has been revealed.
The Irishman's involvement was confirmed by Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman in an interview with Deadline.
Murphy's big break came through his performance as Jim in Danny Boyle's 2002 zombie thriller, where he played a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover that an accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has spread throughout the UK.
22 years on from the release of the original, fans will be delighted to hear that the 47-year-old from Cork will be back once again in the cult classic franchise, alongside newcomers Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O'Connell.
When asked at Cannes Film Market if Murphy, who just won the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, would join the project, Rothman said: "Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that grows, let me put it that way.
"This is Danny at his best, combined with a very commercial genre, like we had with Edgar Wright and Baby Driver."
As Rothman referenced in his answer, the highly anticipated follow-up will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland - the partnership that produced the original two decades ago.
Murphy has been asked previously about the potential of his involvement in the sequel, and has always stated his eagerness to work with Boyle and Garland again.
The actor previously told The Independent: "I would be there in a flash. I made two movies with both of those guys [28 Days Later and Sunshine]. In a heartbeat, I would love to work with those guys again."
More recently, on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast which is hosted by film critic Josh Horowitz, Murphy said that a sequel has been "brewing for a while".
Earlier this year, it was revealed that 28 Years Later will consist of a trilogy of films, and that Candyman director Nia DaCosta was in talks to direct the second entry in the new trio.
A smash hit critically and commercially, the 2002 original is credited with helping reinvigorate the zombie genre and five years later got a follow-up titled 28 Weeks Later, which focused around different characters.
The follow-up film, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, depicted the efforts of NATO military forces as they attempted to create a safe zone in London, with the film introducing a cast of new characters.
28 Years Later is projected to be released in theatres in June 2025.
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