Cillian Murphy is set to star in the sequel 28 Years Later — but there’s a catch. One major hurdle dampens the excitement surrounding this news.
According to HR The actor won’t appear in the upcoming installment of the franchise but in one of the later films in the trilogy.
Speaking during Sony's presentation at CinemaCon 2025, the movie's director Danny Boyle hinted, "Like all good things in life, you may have to wait a little while for him to make his appearance."

The lead roles in the first part of the 28 Years Later trilogy are played by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. The film is set to premiere in June. The second installment, titled 28 Years Later:The Bone Temple, was filmed alongside the first but will only be released next year.
To recap, in 2002, 28 Days Later hit theatres, telling the story of Jim Murphy, who wakes up from a coma in a deserted London. This character, portrayed by Cillian Murphy, also appeared in the sequel 28 Weeks Later.

When the teaser for the third part was released last year, featuring a gaunt infected individual resembling Murphy, the online consensus was that it was Jim. However, the director debunked this theory, clarifying that he never intended to mislead the audience, despite the crew warning him that the zombie in the shot did indeed resemble the lead character.