Back in 2002, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's horror tale 28 Days Later was largely cast with rising stars, with a few more veteran actors here and there (Cillian Murphy might have an Oscar these days, but back then he was still a lesser known name). Yet for their new follow-up, 28 Years Later, the initial casting round features two established performers in Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, with Ralph Fiennes the shiny-faced complete newcomer (just kidding RF, no need to break out the ol' Avada Kedavra).
Yes, after years of speculation, talk of potential ideas and Boyle and Garland being asked about it incessantly, the pair has indeed reunited for a new film set years after Murphy's bicycle courier Jim woke from a coma to find that London and the wider world had well and truly gone to crap after a virus turned millions into rage-driven killers.
With plans for a trilogy (Nia DaCosta is aboard to make the second film, which will reportedly start shooting as soon as the first wraps), Garland is penning all three, with Boyle kicking things off.
Sony is backing the effort, but specific plot details – beyond the continued story of England and the world dealing with the ongoing ramifications of the viral outbreak — and details of the three new additions' characters are being kept locked down for now.