The Marvels and Candyman director Nia DaCosta is in talks to direct the second film in Sony Pictures’ upcoming 28 Years Later follow-up trilogy, according to Deadline. IGN has also confirmed that she is in talks for the movie, but no deal has closed yet.
We’ve known about Sony’s plans to bring back the 28 Days Later franchise for a while now, as initial reports promised a sequel from original director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland back in early January. The goal is to eventually deliver a new trilogy, with a second film already greenlit as well. While Boyle is set to direct the first installment in this new trilogy, it sounds like Sony has its sights set on DaCosta for the second. Garland will write both movies.
Boyle and Garland, along with Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, and Bernie Bellew, are attached as producers on the second 28 Years Later film. As previously reported, original 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy will serve as an executive producer. It’s unclear if he will appear on-screen.
Deadline sources say Boyle plans to direct the first 28 Years Later movie later this year. Sony is moving quickly to lock down a director for that project’s follow-up, though, as its goal is to get the ball rolling on the second film immediately after work on the first is completed.
Plot details for the long-awaited follow-up trilogy remain under wraps for now. The original 28 Days Later premiered in 2002 and starred Murphy as Jim and Naomie Harris as Selena. In 2012, Garland smashed rumors that a follow-up to the 28 Weeks Later sequel was happening. He would later go on to say that talks of a new title, 28 Months Later, were underway. Now, with enough time passed, he and the team have finally settled on the 28 Years Later title.
28 Years Later does not yet have a release date. You can find all of the biggest movies of 2024 right here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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