The UK got infected this week, not with the Rage virus but with an obsession with 28 Days Later and its upcoming legacy sequel 28 Years Later. We’re ignoring 28 Weeks Later, because it’s mid as hell – but the new 28 Years Later trailer looks so promising and everyone thinks Danny Boyle’s return to the zombie classic franchise is going to be nothing short of iconic when the film drops in 2025. The whole chat this week has been around the return of Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Years Later, and as the trailer had everyone thinking the emaciated zombie was him (which got debunked) this wild and very dark theory suggests what kind of character he might have become in this long awaited sequel.
The lore we know
To understand what the theory means for Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Years Later, you need to know a bit of lore. Obviously, Jim was the main character of the first film who wakes up 28 Days Later after the Rage virus has ravaged the UK – and the viewers go on the journey with him as he navigates it and meets survivors. After literally being put through hell, Jim, Naomie Harris’ Selena and Hannah found refuge in the countryside.
We saw the infected dying of starvation. This was confirmed in 28 Weeks Later, where people are being repatriated to the Isle of Dogs which is a safe zone as the bodies are cleared throughout the rest of London and the UK. However, due to the events of THAt film and the worst children in cinema history being absolute idiots, the kids find their mother who has the Rage virus but no symptoms. She then kisses her husband, passing the virus on and we watch Don ravage through the safe zone and cause the second outbreak.
The second outbreak then, alas, heads to France via a helicopter and we see people infected with the Rage virus running by the Eiffel Tower. So, the virus obviously managed to rampage through mainland Europe.
There were some comics that showed more of Selena’s story, and if these are being treated as canon we basically know that the peace Selena, Jim and Hannah found in the countryside didn’t last long. So what will happen to Cillian Murphy returning as Jim in 28 Years Later – here’s a theory that may be true.
The theory
The official synopsis for 28 Years Later and the trailer shows us some stuff about the lore which changes the landscape drastically. The description reads: “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”
28 Days Later influenced The Walking Dead heavily, but now it looks like payback time – because it seems that the new film will be exploring survivors who have gone mad. Cinema Blend suggest a theory that I am choosing to buy right into, which basically suggests Cillian Murphy will be playing Jim as a villain rather than a hero and the character becoming a deranged warlord in the wasteland.
Two shots with “Jimmy” from the 28 Years Later trailer. Just thought it was interesting pic.twitter.com/8PbIbe16il
— Sela Shiloni (@selashiloni) December 11, 2024
In the trailer, you can see the name Jimmy graffitied on a wall and certain infected branded with the name Jimmy. All signs point one way, and it doesn’t look good.
