The film series is off to a good start with two successful movies, but it could really benefit from a companion series similar to Fear the Walking Dead. The 2002 film 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, revitalized the zombie horror genre. It set a new standard that many subsequent movies and shows—like World War Z, Zombieland, The Last of Us, and The Walking Dead—have followed.
It’s easy to see similarities between 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead universe – both start with someone waking up after the zombie outbreak has begun. However, 28 Days Later lacks a story showing the very beginning of the crisis. The Walking Dead skipped over the initial outbreak, but its spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, showed us how it all started in 2015, offering a fresh perspective. We’d love to see that same kind of origin story for 28 Days Later.
The 28 Days Later Franchise Needs 28 Minutes Later
The 28 Days Later series has expanded since the original 2002 film with 28 Weeks Later, and most recently, 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Cillian Murphy is likely to return as Jim, the character he played in 28 Days Later. However, a new sequel could be even stronger if it revisited the very start of the outbreak. While 28 Days Later showed how the outbreak began, it then jumped ahead four weeks, and a return to those initial days could add depth.
As a huge fan of the 28 Days Later universe, I’d love to see a prequel – maybe called 28 Minutes Later – that really dives into how everything started. We know the Rage virus came from experiments on chimpanzees, messing with their aggression and fear, at a lab in Cambridge. The truly terrifying part, and something we haven’t really seen on screen, is how it first jumped to humans – through animal rights activists trying to rescue those chimps, who then got bitten and infected. It would be incredible to witness the very beginning of the outbreak and how quickly it spread across Great Britain.
As a critic, I’ve always felt the world of 28 Days Later has so much more to offer than just Jim’s story. A potential follow-up, something like 28 Minutes Later, could really dig into the compelling backstories of Selena and Mark. We get glimpses of their lives before the outbreak – Selena’s tragic past with her parents, Mark’s desperate attempt to escape the country – and how they initially reacted to everything falling apart. That deserves a full exploration, in my opinion. Of course, the filmmakers could also go in a completely new direction with fresh characters, but I think revisiting Selena and Mark would be incredibly powerful.
Though reminiscent of 28 Weeks Later, where the Rage Virus resurfaced with returning civilians, 28 Minutes Later offers a fresh take. The virus’s incredibly rapid spread – taking hold in mere seconds – would have caused society to quickly fall apart. It would be exciting to see the franchise recapture the initial energy of Fear the Walking Dead by showcasing these critical early moments of the outbreak within the 28 Days Later universe.
Taking Inspiration From Fear the Walking Dead Would Benefit 28 Days Later
After the film 28 Days Later fast-forwarded through the initial weeks of a zombie outbreak, most zombie stories began to avoid showing how the outbreaks started. It became common to jump right into a world already overrun by zombies. Now, it would be more compelling for the 28 Days Later series to show us the very beginning of the chaos.
Fear the Walking Dead offered a fresh perspective on the zombie apocalypse. Created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, the show followed new characters in Los Angeles as the outbreak began, showing how people reacted to the dead coming back to life, the initial emergency responses, and the ultimate breakdown of order. It breathed new life into the Walking Dead universe.
Just as 28 Minutes Later could revisit the beginning of the 28 Days Later story to show how society fell apart, the franchise needs a resurgence. While 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was generally well-received, it didn’t perform as strongly as the first film or 28 Years Later. Although a sequel to The Bone Temple hasn’t been announced, the series has potential for further development and deserves to continue.
Many zombie stories skip over how the outbreaks actually begin. It would be a smart decision for the 28 Days Later series to finally show us the origins of its outbreak. Offering something fresh and surprising like that would revitalize the franchise and allow for even more compelling stories, potentially expanding the 28 Days Later films in amazing ways.
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2026-03-26 16:36