Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer in “28 Years Later.”
Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures/Miya Mizuno
Danny Boyle’s horror thriller 28 Years Later, starring Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, arrives on streaming on Netflix this week.
Rated R, 28 Years Later opened in theaters on June 20 and debuted on digital streaming via premium video on demand on July 29. Directed by Boyle and written by Alex Garland (Warfare) — who directed and wrote the original rage virus movie 28 Days Later in 2002 — 28 Years Later follows the second film in the series, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later.
The film begins with a flashback scene to the beginning of the rage virus, then flashes forward 28 years to an isolated island near the Scottish Highlands, where its inhabitants are isolated from the zombie-like creatures that roam the mainland.
As a means of protecting themselves, though, fathers take their pre-teen sons on a rite of passage to the mainland to learn survival skills by hunting “the infected.” During one of the harrowing trips, 11-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) learns from his father, Jamie (Taylor-Johnson), of the location of a strange doctor named Kelson (Fiennes), but warns his son to stay away from the madman.
Ignoring his father’s plea, Spike, upon his return home, decides to venture through the treacherous territory of the infected with his ailing mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), to see if Kelson can help cure her.
Netflix recently announced that 28 Years Later, which is executive-produced by 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, will premiere on the platform on Saturday, Sept. 20.
For viewers who don’t subscribe to Netflix, the platform offers an ad-based package $7.99 per month for viewing on two supported devices, an ad-free package for $17.99 per month for viewing on two supported devices and an ad-free package for $24.99 per month for four supported devices with 4K Ultra HD programming.
A Sequel To ’28 Years Later’ Will Be Released In 2026
While it took years between the productions of 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later and 28 Years Later, filmmaker Danny Boyle isn’t wasting any time for the fourth film in the series, with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set to be released on Jan. 16, 2026.
The new film in the franchise will be directed by Candyman and The Marvels filmmaker Nia Da Costa from a screenplay by Alex Garland. Boyle is serving as a producer on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Ralph Fiennes and Alfie Williams are set to reprise their roles from 28 Years Later.
While in theaters, 28 Years Later earned $70.4 million domestically and nearly $79.7 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $150.1 million. The film had a production budget of $60 million, according to The Numbers.
Also starring Jack O’Connell (Sinners), 28 Years Later is arriving on Netflix on Sept. 20.