28 Years Later Director Explains Why New Film Reverses Major Plot Point

Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes in 28 Years LaterDanny Boyle has opened up about his decision to walk back a decision made in the predecessor to his new film, 28 Weeks Later.Back in 2002, the Oscar-winning filmmaker helmed the dystopian horror 28 Days Later. Its 2007 follow-up was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, but Danny did stay on as a producer.In the first two movies, the “rage virus” was contained to just the UK, although a final scene in the sequel 28 Weeks Later teased that the contagion had made its way to mainland Europe, when members of the infected were seen in Paris.However, when the Trainspotting director made the decision to return to the franchise for his latest film 28 Years Later, he rewrote this change.At the beginning of 28 Years Later, a text card explains to viewers that “the French managed to drive the virus back across the channel to its origin in the British mainland”.Explaining his motivation for this, Danny told IndieWire that screenwriter Alex Garland’s “idea was to withdraw from Europe and to isolate the island”.Jodie Comer and Danny Boyle filming 28 Years Later in the North East of England“I think [we] probably [had some] regrets about threatening Europe with it, in terms of story development, that meant it could only go one way,” he said.“So, the idea was to retrench, and that allowed us to make weirdly a much bigger film, more mythic.”He also told Collider: “What was unique about the first film and was the best choice we ever made about it was that it featured entirely British. It was just that land.“And it was extraordinary thinking about something that powerful breaking out in that particular space, and it had to be dealt with by the inhabitants of that land. And we decided to concentrate on that.”Insisting there’s “nothing wrong” with 28 Weeks Later as a film (despite it being notably less well-received by both critics and audiences), he and the team ultimately “decided not to follow those story elements”.28 Years Later finally hit cinemas last week, and has already received positive reviews and a glowing reception at the box office.Danny has already been lifting the lid on various aspects of the movie – most notably its chilling ending (and the real meaning behind it), why he filmed much of the action on iPhones and one question plenty of us had about a certain naked “Alpha”.He’s also spoken about his future plans for the franchise, with a new sequel already slated to hit cinemas in early 2026.READ MORE:28 Years Later Director Danny Boyle Reveals Meaning Behind That Truly Wild Twist Ending28 Years Later 'Alpha' Chi Lewis-Parry Answers Everyone's 1 Big Question About The Film28 Years Later Was Actually Filmed Using iPhones – Danny Boyle Explains Why

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