We all mistook him for a zombie, but is Cillian Murphy actually in 28 Years Later?

Cillian Murphy’s role in 28 Years Later has been a major talking point ever since the trailer was released and people swore they spotted him as an emaciated zombie.

Of course, the identity of the zombie was later revealed to be model Angus Neill and not Cillian who helmed the first film in the franchise, 28 Days Later. Though the reception to the trailer was still amazing, particularly when it came to its chosen backing track, many of us are still left wondering whether Cillian’s character Jim will be making an appearance.

Here’s everything we know, from theories to set sightings.

The zombie in the trailer is not Cillian, sorry

Last week, Twitter was certain they’d spotted Cillian in the trailer for 28 Years Later starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer. Unfortunately, it turned out to be newcomer Angus Neill.

“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role. So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part,” he told The Guardian. “On set, he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”

Cillian Murphy wants to return

Cillian has always spoken well of his time on 28 Days Later, after all, without that project we wouldn’t necessarily have Peaky Blinders, Oppenheimer, or Red Eye. Upon hearing news of the revival in January, Cillian said he would love to return for another stab.

“That’s great to hear,” he told The Independent. “I didn’t know that – I would be there in a flash. I made two movies with both of those guys, and I would love to work with them again. Of course, I’m there.”

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Annoyingly, when appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast earlier this year, Cillian kept tight-lipped about the projects besides “watch this space.”

First look at Cillian Murphy in ‘28 Years Later.’ pic.twitter.com/N6t3jcmODA

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 10, 2024

He is an executive producer on 28 Years Later

When news of the 28 Days Later sequel broke in January, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland said that Cillian Murphy was returning to the franchise as an executive producer.

Of course, considering the film launched his very successful career, being given the executive producer role was a high honour, even if it’s a practically meaningless gesture given to actors to either sweeten their deal or pay tribute to their work on other projects.

At the same time, it was flagged that Cillian might be returning to act in the film. He is also listed as Jim on the film’s IMDb page.

He was spotted on set according to reports

So Cillian has been spotted on the set of the sequel for '28 years later' that is apparently called 'The bone Temple'.
Peaky Blinders starts filming in 10 days, someone explain to me the insane SCHEDULE of that man cause jesuschrist how is it even possible. pic.twitter.com/p133wjqjEW

— michi³⁰ᴵ⁰⁷ (@wiwaonly) September 18, 2024

In September, residents of the Lake District village Ennerdale spotted Cillian Murphy on what appeared to be the set of 28 Years Later. He donned a dark grey sweater, Jim’s signature floppy brown mop, and had a suspicious injury to his shoulder.

Residents even spotted zombies running across the hills, which must have been quite a shock. Reports suggested he was filming scenes for the second film in the new trilogy so we might have to wait a little longer.

Crazy theory suggests a grim fate for Jim

Now I’m not one to listen to crazy theories but there’s one gaining traction that is very hard to ignore as it teases the possible fate of Jim in 28 Years Later.

If you watched the trailer closely enough you might recognise the word “Jimmy” scrawled on a building alongside ominous messages about “he’s coming.” Because the upcoming instalment will deal with survivors who have gone mad, not just the living dead, some have suggested that Cillian’s Jim will act as a villain of the film.

Personally, I’m betting that we will get a glimpse of Jim in the final few moments of 28 Years Later with his story being continued in the already greenlit 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple.

Featured image credit: 20th Century Fox/Variety