Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are collaborating on a follow-up to their zombie genre game-changer 28 Days Later, developing a follow-up titled “28 Years Later” that would hope to launch a new trilogy of films.

28 Days Later flipped its modest production budget of $8 million to a $84 million gross at the global box office. The zombie film was also a critical success, and has has been featured in several "best-of" film lists and maintained a following, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020s.

The film stars a then unknown Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson also make appearances in the film.

A previous sequel, “28 Weeks Later,” was released in 2007, though Boyle and Garland were solely attached as executive producers. 28 Weeks Later was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo,  and saw a slightly boosted production budget of $15 million, which resulted in a successful global gross of $65 million.

However, many fans have been hoping for a sequel that would put Boyle and Garland at the helm, including the features' breakout star Cillian Murphy, who told NME in 2022, “Every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it,”

Murphy said. “I showed it to my kids recently — some Halloween about four or five years ago — and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.”

The actor is currently unattached to the new project however.

William Morris Endeavor, which represents both creators, looks to shop the project to studios and streamers later this year. The project is seeking a production budget around $75 million — a significant increase from the humble origins of the franchise.

28 Days Later is often credited with the revival of the zombie horror genre- although Boyle himself does not consider it a zombie film.

In 2021, in the midst of the Covid -19 pandemic, actor Megan Burns said of the film, "When I joined the cast of 28 Days Later I had no idea of how big a cultural impact it would have and what a game-changer it would be to the 'zombie' genre. Even now after all these years, (or perhaps especially now with the current situation) people want to talk about the film and that's incredible'.