Warning: This article contains spoilers for28 Years Later.
28 Years Latersets up the next installment,The Bone Temple, in a number of ways.28 Years Later, which is intended to be the first in a new trilogy of movies from the28 Days Laterfranchise, was helmed by original director Danny Boyle, reuniting with original screenwriter Alex Garland.
While the third movie in the plannedYearstrilogy has not even been funded yet, theupcoming28 Years Later: The Bone Templeis set to debut in theaters shockingly soon. The movie’s premiere date is set for August 17, 2025,just under seven months after the previous installment hit theaters.
Because the sequel, which was written by Alex Garland and directed byCandyman’s Nia DaCosta, is so linked to its predecessor (both in terms of the schedule and in terms of their narrative continuity),28 Years Laterfeatures quite a few moments that set up potential storylines forThe Bone Temple.
1Jamie Wants Spike To Come Home
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Will Return In The Bone Temple
Because production onThe Bone Templebegan less than a month after the previous movie wrapped, many members of the28 Years Latercastwill be returning in the sequel. This includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Jamie, the father of the movie’s main character, Spike (Alfie Williams). Additionally, the movieindicates the most likely avenue for Jamie’s return.
The movie ends with Spike setting off on his own, much to the consternation of his father. While 28 days pass after Spike’s departure, during which Jamie hasn’t gone after him, the final moments featuring the character seem to show that he is not happy to let his son just slip away and thathe may soon mount a search.
2Samson Is Still Looking For The Baby
The Alpha Survived 28 Years Later
Alongside the majority of the human characters,one of the most important Infected will be returning inThe Bone Temple, namely the Alpha, Samson. The mutations of the Rage virus that were shown in the movie include the development of Alphas, which are smarter Infected who take on leadership positions.
The most prominently featured Alpha is Samson, a big and powerful Infected who roams the countryside in the territory of the eccentric Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who doesn’t try to kill him, but rather sedates him when he threatens Spike and his mother Isla (Jodie Comer).
It is heavily implied that the non-infected baby that Isla assisted in the birth of was fathered by Samson. In fact,it seems that Samson is specifically targeting Spike and Isla because they have the babywith them.
Therefore, because Samson is set to return in28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, it seems that he will continue to seek out the child, no matter what obstacles are in his way.This could pose an extremely dangerous threat to the fortified village on the island of Lindisfarne, where Spike left the baby before going off on his own.
3Jimmy’s Cult Has Been Introduced
They Will Be A Major Part Of The Bone Temple
One of the biggest sequel setups isthe group that is introduced at the very end of28 Years Later. Somewhat unexpectedly, Spike’s escape from a group of Infected is aided by a cult wearing colorful tracksuits, who are led by the mysterious Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell).
Sir Jimmy was the subject of the movie’s prologue, which took place 28 years earlier, at the beginning of the Rage virus epidemic. He was seen alongside a group of children in a home in the Highlands who were attempting to assuage their fears by watchingTeletubbies, only for Infected to invade.
The colorful tracksuits worn by the cult seem to be informed by the color scheme of theTeletubbies.
Sir Jimmy’s gangof Jimmies, which include Jimmy Jones (Maura Bird), Jimmima (Emma Laird), and Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), will almost certainly form a major part of the story ofThe Bone Temple. For one thing, this brief teasehints that the next movie will pick up with Spike learning more about the groupand either joining or being kidnapped by them.
For another,Jimmy’s appearance was foreshadowed by mysterious, worshipful graffitithat was seen in various places around the mainland, including his name being carved into a hanging victim.
4Spike’s Coming Of Age Story Has Just Begun
He’s About To Embark On A New Journey
28 Years Latersaw Spike take a huge step forward in his maturity, learning to accept the death of his mother. Along the way, his experiences also led him to have growing doubts about his father and whether he would flourish under his guardianship. However,he has many more lessons to learnnow that he is on his own.
One of these lessons will very likely be abouthow to discern which apocalyptic survivors he can trust. It remains to be seen if he embraces Jimmy’s gang or recognizes that their violent tactics are responsible for one of his most terrifying experiences in the previous movie, when he was almost killed by one of their victims, who became infected.
5The Bone Temple Has Been Established
Dr. Kelson Built The Unusual Monument
2025’s28 Years Laterhas already introduced the titular edifice fromThe Bone Temple. The title refers to the tower of skulls surrounded by columns of bones, which has been erected by Dr. Kelson in tribute to the dead of the British Isles, the Infected and uninfected alike.
It seems likely that [Dr. Kelson] will be reunited with Spike…
It is currently unclear how the bone temple will figure into the sequel. However, the title implies that it will be central to the movie’s storyline. It has also been confirmed thatDr. Kelson will return inThe Bone Temple, so it seems likely that he will be reunited with Spike, potentially with the Jimmy cult in tow.
6The Baby Could Change Everything
The Uninfected Child Could Provide Hope For The Future
In addition to potentially being a lure for Samson the Alpha Infected, the uninfected baby, which is now in the care Jamie on Lindisfarne, could potentially offer a glimpse into the future of the world in the28 Days Latermovies. The fact that an uninfected child can be born from two Infected hashuge implications for Rage virus survivors.
It’s entirely possible thatthe baby’s uninfected status could lead to the development of a cure for the Rage virus. However, it seems unlikely that the survivors have either the knowledge or the access to technology to allow them to do so, which is an issue that could potentially drive a major branch of the story in the upcoming sequel.
7The Outside World Still Exists
The Rage Virus Is Isolated To The British Isles
Although theending of28 Weeks Laterhinted that the Rage virus was beginning to spread globally,28 Years Laterconfirmed that it had been eradicated from continental Europe. Swedish soldier Erik (Edvin Ryding), who washed up on shore, also revealed thatthe modern world exists outside of the British Isles, which was quarantined in the early 2000s.
Because the first movie offered a small glimpse of the outside world through Erik, it seems likely that the sequel will continue to explore how continental Europe interacts with Britain, either by introducing new characters from the region or potentially even having scenes set there.
8The Infected Are More Organized Than They Seem
Alphas Make Them Even More Dangerous
The mutations shown in28 Years Later’s Infectedalso have huge implications for the story inThe Bone Temple. In addition to the Infected being led by Alphas, there areother indications that they are beginning to develop their own rudimentary civilization, as it is revealed that they have begun reproducing, and it was hinted that they also hunt animals.
A potentially imagined sequence shows Infected hunting an animal and an Alpha spearing its head on a tree branch as a sort of trophy.
The sequel to28 Years Latercould reveal even further extents to which the Infected have developed since the original movies. They could potentially be even more organized than they seemed in the 2025 installment, which would mean that they could be intelligent enough to form an army that poses an unprecedented threat to the surviving communities.
