Cillian Murphy’s ’28 Years Later’ Return: Nia DaCosta Opted for a Grounded Scene Over a Superhero Reveal in ‘The Bone Temple’

It’s not a secret that Cillian Murphy is returning to the popular zombie franchise that launched his career over two decades later in “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.” Danny Boyle, who first introduced the actor to the big screen in “28 Days Later,” shared this information after the actor was notably absent from last year’s sequel “28 Years Later” (it turned out he wasn’t the thin zombie seen emerging from a field).

However, individuals who are not interested in learning how and when he shows up in Nia DaCosta’s gory follow-up to the sequel—now playing in theaters through Sony Pictures—might want to cease reading immediately.

Murphy is indeed back in “The Bone Temple,” taking on the role of Jim, the bicycle messenger who famously awoke from a coma to discover a London empty and destroyed by the Rage virus in 2001. However, his return doesn’t happen until nearly the very end of the new movie—and in a very calm scene that significantly shifts the mood from the intense chaos witnessed during the preceding 90 minutes. For director Nia DaCosta, based on Alex Garland’s screenplay, this was precisely what she aimed to accomplish.

“Because it’s not a major ‘return of the superhero’ franchise moment,” she explains toLive Video Streaming of a Film OnlineIt’s the comeback of the bicycle courier.

Following the peak of an extended and intensifying phase of insanity featuring Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson, Jack O’Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Chi Lewis-Parry as the zombie Alpha Samson, the movie takes an abrupt turn to a completely different environment, depicting Murphy’s Jim residing in a secluded and secure location, likely in the same remote cottage where he was abandoned at the conclusion of “28 Days Later.” A quarter of a century later, he now has a daughter (whom he has witnessed assisting with a history exam).

The fact that Alex wrote him teaching his daughter history and that’s how he wanted to bring him back into the story, I thought, okay, so that’s how we’ll film it,” DaCosta says. “So it’s realistic. It’s not a huge, dramatic moment. And I believe it’s strong enough just to see him.

It was definitely strong enough to cause audiences to cheer loudly during initial showings.

Interestingly, viewers might have identified Murphy’s voice sooner than expected. While DaCosta was working on the title sequence for “The Bone Temple” and determining how to present the new film’s name on screen, she felt the need to incorporate a scene from the past. “We used sound, and the voice you hear is Cillian’s from the first movie saying ‘Hello,’ ” she explains. “So he actually makes an appearance in the film right from the beginning.”

Supporters of the series might also recognize a nod to its beginnings during the major reveal involving Murphy later on, as DaCosta incorporates the original unsettling track “In a Heartbeat,” written by John Murphy for “28 Days Later.”

“That was the most franchise-like thing we undertook,” she says.

Similar to the concluding scene in “28 Years Later” that revealed O’Conell’s Crystal, the final sequence in “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” featuring Murphy strongly implies that there is more to unfold. Fortunately, Sony has already approved a sequel, with Garland returning to handle the script.

DaCosta states that it was “a lot of fun” to create the film (and also acknowledges it was “100%” a response to having worked on a major MCU blockbuster in “The Marvels” and then adapted Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda”). However, it’s unfortunate that her desire to return as director for the next installment is largely beside the point.

As she mentions: “Danny claimed priority.”