28 Years Later‘s first trailer has been released, and fans are speculating that Cillian Murphy makes an appearance. The sequel’s first footage briefly shows a gaunt zombie, with viewers saying it shares similarities with the Oppenheimer actor. This could be the case given director Danny Boyle’s previous comments on the movie.
28 Years Later trailer and Cillian Murphy’s ‘cameo’
The 28 Years Later trailer doesn’t give much away. Focusing on leads Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, it shows a world that has not recovered from its predecessors’ zombie outbreak.
One of the final shots of the trailer shows a zombie rising to its feet, and viewers have been quick to point out its resemblance to Cillian Murphy. Murphy appeared in 28 Days Later and is confirmed to appear in 28 Years Later. This means that the zombie could well be the Irish actor.
Why 28 Years Later will see Cillian Murphy’s return as Jim
Sony’s Tom Rothman previously confirmed Cillian Murphy’s return to 28 Years Later. When asked whether the Academy Award winner would appear in the sequel, Rothman replied: “Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that grows, let me put it that way.”
Though Rothman was holding his cards close to his chest, he clearly implies that something surprising will happen to Cillian Murphy’s Jim. The character reappearing as a zombie would certainly be a shock to audiences.
But if 28 Years Later has secured Cillian Murphy, the actor’s star has risen considerably since the 2002 horror movie. This means that it would likely seek to get more traction out of his appearance. Given Rothman’s comments that Murphy’s role “grows” in the sequel, we could see Murphy reappearing as Jim, only to become infected with the zombie virus throughout the movie.
This wouldn’t quite explain Murphy’s skeletal appearance, but there’s still very little we know about the sequel so far. Nonetheless, given that its tagline is “time didn’t heal anything,” Murphy reappearing as a zombie would be a fitting reintroduction to the character.
