Ralph Fiennes has shared new plot details from28 Years Later. The movie, which is the beginning of a planned trilogy of new movies, is the long-awaited third installment in the British horror franchise about a rage virus transforming people into the ravenous Infected that began with 2002’s28 Days Laterand 2007’s28 Weeks Later. The cast of theupcoming28 Years Later, which reunites returning director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland, also includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and returning star Cillian Murphy reprising his role as Jim.
IndieWirerecently sat down with Ralph Fiennes for a wide-ranging profile. At one point, the topic turned to the upcoming28 Years Laterand he offered insight into the plot of the movie, as well as the character he will be playing. He revealed that he will be playing a doctor in the new trilogy who is “a force for good” and that two of the three movies have already been shot. He also describes thatthe plot “centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother.“Read his full description below:
It’s three films, of which two have been shot. Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.
What This Means For 28 Years Later
The Movie’s Position In The Franchise Is Much More Clear
This plot description offers quite a bit of insight into the newDanny Boyle movie. First and foremost, itseems to reveal that the majority of the first movie in the trilogy will take place in Englandlike the previous two installments, even though the ending of28 Weeks Latershowed the rage virus spreading throughout Paris and thus potentially the entirety of continental Europe. It also seems that the Infected have remained at large in the meantime, either because they keep infecting new communities or because the virus has mutated, potentially due to the asymptomatic hosts seen inWeeks.
The ending of28 Days Latersaw the original Infected die of starvation within the span of roughly 56 days.
While Fiennes did not reveal who would be playing either lead character,the mother may be played by Jodie Comer. The other major female cast member who has been announced isThe Falcon and the Winter SoldierstarErin Kellyman. However, she is only 25 years old and thus may not match the role, depending on the character’s age. Depending on Fiennes' definition of “young,” the boy might be played byYoung Royalsstar Edvin Ryding. However, set photos have revealed him in military uniform, so that character may be played by an as-yet unannounced star.
Our Take On The 28 Years Later Update
Ralph Fiennes Is Well Cast
Fiennes' revelation of the character he will be playing also shows that he has been well cast in28 Years Later. It seems thathis good but unsettling doctor character will be playing off his habit of portraying villainous charactersincluding Voldemort in theHarry Pottermovies, Chef Slowik inThe Menu, and Amon Göth inSchindler’s List. The fact that the doctor is difficult to read ultimately highlights the moral ambiguity of characters in the post-apocalyptic world of the franchise.
