Cillian Murphy Won’t Appear in “28 Years Later”

Cillian Murphy of
Cillian Murphy of "Oppenheimer" celebrates backstage with his Best Actor Oscar in March 2024. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI/Shutterstock (14384521bp)

The release of the first trailer for 28 Years Later sparked rumors about Cillian Murphy’s potential return to this franchise, but he won’t be back for another ride. The Oscar-winning actor won’t appear in the new sequel, but he could return in one of the future films in this post-apocalyptic franchise.

Rumors about Murphy’s potential return made rounds online after a zombie reminiscent of the actor appeared in the first trailer for 28 Years Later. Art dealer Angus Neill recently revealed that he was the actor in the shot, dispelling rumors about Murphy making a comeback as Jim from 28 Days Later.

28 Years Later producer Andrew Macdonald also dismissed rumors in a recent interview with Empire,  but added Murphy could return in one of the future sequels.

“We wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line… He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy,” said Macdonald.

28 Years Later will premiere on June 20, and its star-studded cast includes Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes.