[This story contains spoilers from 28 Years Later.]
There were a number of memorable characters in 28 Years Later, such as the reclusive Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), adventurous 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) and the mysterious cult leader Jimmy (Jack O’Connell), who swoops in at the end.
But one character in particular captured the Internet’s imagination during the film’s $30 million opening weekend. Samson, AKA The Alpha Zombie played by Chi Lewis-Parry, won hearts and minds thanks to his hulking presence, his affinity for ripping off human heads, and, um, that prosthetic penis.
Filmmaker Danny Boyle tells The Hollywood Reporter there is indeed more Samson arriving in the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
“The character you saw at the end of the first film, Jack O’Connell, he’s a major character in the second film, with Ralph Fiennes — and the big Samson guy,” Boyle says.
Sony shot 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple back-to-back, with Boyle directing the first installment and Candyman filmmaker Nia DaCosta stepping in for the second. Sony film boss Tom Rothman is high on both movies and is hopeful about a third installment that Boyle and his 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland are developing.
“I don’t really consider this a zombie film. I consider it an emotional drama in a harsh landscape,” Rothman says of the current 28 Years Later. “The next one is much more about man’s inhumanity to man.”
For now, Sony is focused on 28 Years Later’s continued theatrical run, where it has taken in $60 million globally, and then preparing for the January launch of Bone Temple. Spike will also be back for that feature, with an appearance from 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy.
Bone Temple filmmaker DaCosta previously stepped into franchise fare with Marvel Studios’ The Marvels. That project did not work critically or financially, and DaCosta has been open about knowing it was a Marvel Studios movie, not really her own. But with Bone Temple, Boyle and writer-producer Garland say DaCosta did indeed get to make her own film.
“I remember her saying, ‘I’m not going to make a Danny Boyle movie.’ She was absolutely clear about that. And she hasn’t,” says Boyle. “She’s made her own movie and it’s very strong. I think probably because of her experience, she knows what she wants to do now and how she wants to do it, and tells you up front.”
In the years since 28 Days Later, Garland has graduated from screenwriter to director of films such as Ex Machina and Civil War, which taught him to be hands-off while producing the 28 Years Later films. After all, he wouldn’t like someone telling him what to do on one of his own sets.
“I gave them the script. They said, ‘Yes, I want to make this film.’ And from that point, I had almost no involvement,” says Garland, who did not visit the set. “I think in both cases there were a couple of days I was there for rehearsals for some technical reasons, but after the rehearsal period, when the film had started principal photography, I wasn’t there.”
As for the future, Boyle has spent much of the press tour advocating for a third installment, which has not been greenlit. It’s something Rothman is hopeful for.
“I don’t want to put a jinx on it. But, with such great reviews, and such a strong start globally, we hope so,” says Rothman.
