28 Years Later 3: Release date speculation and news for final chapter

*Warning - contains full spoilers for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.*

The second film in the planned 28 Years Later trilogy, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is now out in cinemas, with director Nia DaCosta bringing us a thrilling, horrifying new chapter in the story that started way back in 2002 with 28 Days Later.

The new film picks up right where last year's 28 Years Later left off, and after a harrowing journey filled with some major reveals, it ends on another huge cliffhanger, as Cillian Murphy finally makes his franchise return as Jim.

After that, fans will no doubt be wondering when they will get to see how Jim factors in, whether Spike will ever return home, and how it all comes to a close. So, what do we know so far?

Read on for everything you need to know about the upcoming third chapter in the 28 Years Later trilogy.

Has 28 Years Later 3 been confirmed?

It seems so. While Sony has yet to confirm that a third 28 Years Later film is on the way, Deadline reported back in December 2025 that the studio would be proceeding with the final film in the trilogy, with Alex Garland now writing the script.

Cillian Murphy was said to be in talks to return as Jim, while Danny Boyle is expected to return as director, having previously helmed 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later.

When will 28 Years Later 3 be released?

We don't yet know when 28 Years Later 3 will be released, as Sony has yet to officially confirm the film or assign a date to it on their release schedule.

As Garland is said to be writing the film now, and the team behind the films will no doubt want to keep up the momentum, we hopefully shouldn't have to wait too long, even if it will definitely be a longer wait than that between 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which were shot back to back.

We would imagine that a 2028 release date would seem possible, but for now that is purely speculation, and we will have to wait for more official news to be certain.

What will 28 Years Later 3 be about?

We don't yet know what 28 Years Later 3 will be about, but we can take some hints from the end of the most recent film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

That film ended by reintroducing Cillian Murphy's Jim, now seen raising a daughter. It's unclear if Naomi Harris's Selena, who Jim was seen getting close to in 28 Days Later and who could well be the mother of his child, will also return, or whether she has perished in the intervening years.

Regardless, Jim and his daughter will no doubt be back, interacting with Spike and Kelly who they were last seen attempting to save from a horde of infected.

It also seems likely that they will come into contact with Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Jamie and the community on Holy Island, who were absent entirely from The Bone Temple, and that Samson, or whatever the former Alpha infected's real name is, will play a pivotal role.

In The Bone Temple, he was seen being cured by Dr Kelson before the latter was killed. If he is able to remember what Kelson did to achieve that, and get that knowledge to other survivors, then there could be a chance of creating a cure that can be more widespread.

Whether that comes to pass or not remains to be seen, but we imagine it could well be crucial plot point in the third film.

Who will return to star in 28 Years Later 3?

It has already been reported that Cillian Murphy will be back as Jim in the third film, and we'd expect nothing less after his brief cameo at the end of The Bone Temple.

We would also expect the next film to bring back Alfie Williams's Spike, the central character of the trilogy, as well as Erin Kellyman's Kelly, who he was last seen travelling with.

Chi Lewis-Parry's Samson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Jamie also seem like likely figures to return.

Of course, this is all speculation for now, but here are the central cast members from the 28 Years Later films who we would expect to see back for the third chapter:

• Alfie Williams as Spike
• Cillian Murphy as Jim
• Erin Kellyman as Kelly
• Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie

Is there a trailer for 28 Years Later 3?

There isn't a trailer available for the third 28 Years Later film just yet, as it hasn't even started filming at this point. However, we will make sure to add one in as soon as it become available, and for now you can rewatch the trailer for the second film, The Bone Temple, here:

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now showing in UK cinemas.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.