Fact check: Is that a zombie Cillian Murphy in the 28 Years Later trailer?

The first trailer for 28 Years Later took the internet by storm as fans were enthralled by the creepiness of the preview. Coming more than 20 years after the first film, the trailer focuses on Aaron Taylor-Johnson's character as he goes out hunting with a kid only to be met by the monsters that occupy it now. While the trailer was hailed for its scare factor, there was something else that caught the eyes of fans too.

In the trailer for 28 Years Later, a zombie can be seen rising from bushes, and many started speculating online that it may be Cillian Murphy's Jim from 28 Days Later. However, that's not the case, as that zombie isn't played by Murphy at all. Rather, the zombie is played by actor Angus Neill., confirmed by The Guardian.

As for Murphy, while returning as Jim in 28 Years Later, it is unclear how big of a role he will have in the film. A user on X also posted a photo of Murphy on set a few months ago looking his normal self and not all zombied up.

So, for those wondering whether the zombie was Cillian Murphy, well, that he was not. Cillian Murphy is nowhere to be seen in the trailer as well. However, fans can check him out on the big screen when 28 Years Later releases in cinema next year on June 20, 2025.

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What role does Cillian Murphy play in 28 Years Later?

28 Years Later, as the title suggests, takes place 28 years after 28 Days Later, the first film in the trilogy. The original movie is set in London, where a highly contagious virus that turns humans rabid has been leaked out in the open and caused the deaths of many. In the film, viewers follow Cillian Murphy's Jim, a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma only to find an apocalyptic world.

Throughout the film, he meets companions such as Selena, Frank, and Hannah as they try to survive this virus and escape those who may infect them. By the end of the movie, Jim is one of the survivors and it is revealed that he is living in a cottage, as those who were infected can be seen dying on the road due to starvation.

However, while the ending does suggest that the threat of the infection has gone away, it is brought back in the sequel, 28 Weeks Later. Cillian Murphy doesn't return as Jim, rather a brand-new cast is put at the center of the movie. So, it is still unknown exactly how Jim will fit into the upcoming sequel.

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What is 28 Years Later about?

The upcoming film is directed by Danny Boyle with a scriptwriter, Alex Garland. The official logline of the film 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.

It continues,

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."

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The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and more. Stay tuned for further updates on the movie.