28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Release date, plot, and everything we know so far

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the second installment of the 28 Years trilogy. The first part, 28 Years Later, is set to release on June 20, 2025, while the sequel will be released on January 16, 2026.

The 28 Years Later franchise is a sequel to the 2002 and 2007 movies 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later respectively. Director Danny Boyle (known for Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours) and screenwriter Alex Garland (known for Ex Machina and Annihilation) who had worked on the first film, reunite for this new trilogy.

The trilogy will follow the post-apocalyptic zombie world previously created by the "Rage Virus". The official synopsis of 28 Years Later by Sony Pictures says:

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.

According to a 2024 Deadline report the trailer to 28 Years Later became the second most-watched horror trailer of all time, garnering a massive 60.2 million views within the first 24 hours of release.

Although Sony has not yet revealed too many details about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a visual of the titular Bone Temple can be seen in the trailer for its prequel.

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What do we know so far about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?

An image of The Bone Temple from the trailer of 28 Years Later (image via Sony Pictures/ YouTube)

It is expected that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will be a direct continuation of the first installment of the trilogy since both movies were shot almost parallelly. Moreover, a shot in the trailer of 28 Years Later gives us a view of the aforementioned Bone Temple, although its exact significance is still unknown.

The so-called Bone Temple from 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple is picturized as having a central obelisk-like structure comprised entirely of human skulls. This central tower is surrounded by numerous tall columns, also made of human bones, which imparts quite a sinister aura to the whole scene.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is directed by Nia DaCosta (known for Candyman and The Marvels) and shares the same cast as its prequel. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is produced by Danny Boyle and executive produced by Cillian Murphy, with a screenplay by Alex Garland. The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes.

Cillian Murphy appeared in the original 2002 movie 28 Days Later and was rumored to appear in 28 Years Later as a zombie. According to Collider, he has been confirmed to have some role in the movie, although he does not appear in the trailer.

The budget for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and its previous installment is reportedly around $75 million. They will be released under the banner of Columbia Pictures, belonging to Sony Pictures Entertainment.

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What we know about 28 Years Later - the prequel to 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple

28 Years Later is the prequel to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. According to the trailer, this movie picks up 10228 days, or 28 years, after the events of 28 Days Later. A highly infectious "rage virus" is accidentally released from a lab in Cambridge, England, which transforms people into aggressive "zombies." This virus spreads like wildfire and causes an epidemic and complete collapse of society in and around London in under a month, but certain groups manage to escape and are rescued.

28 Years Later begins in a dystopian future containing one of these groups, which has managed to evade the virus and survive in its niche with its own rules in a quarantined pandemic. While the plot is being kept tightly under wraps so far, it is expected that the movie will follow the journey of the protagonist (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he ventures out into the world from their safe haven and encounters horrors left in the aftermath of the zombies.

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28 Days Later: The Bone Temple will be released on 16 January 2026, while its prequel, 28 Years Later, will be released on 20 June 2025.