The remaining hope that 28 years later could have a happy ending can probably be settled, all thanks to the film that Alex Garland admits heavily inspired his upcoming zombie sequel. With such a large narrative gap since the last film, 28 years laterThe story of is devilishly difficult to predict. Cillian Murphy’s return is confirmed, but the addition of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes suggests that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s film will not directly follow on from the previous installments.

Concrete information is in short supply. 28 years later Plot clues must instead be gathered in other ways, including from the film Alex Garland himself admits that he “Rip-off.” The 28 years later The author has admitted that his upcoming third part owes a lot to Kesa British film from 1969 about a small child who raises a kestrel. Directed by Ken Loach. While the crossover part of the 28 years later/Kes At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a Venn diagram, but Garland’s comparison may hint at a key element of the upcoming film’s ending.

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The comparison with Kes from “28 Years Later” confirms that the zombie franchise will not have a happy ending

If the ending of “28 Years Later” resembles that of “Kes,” it will be hard to watch

As Garland describes, 28 years later follows Kes‘ lead in terms of sound and also in relation to the two stories “focuses on the experiences of a young boy.” While Kes is an acclaimed piece of British cinema, full of emotion, joy and heartfelt coming-of-age triumph, but also infamous for one of the most emotionally devastating endings in film history. The bond between the main character Billy, played by David Bradley, and his pet kestrel is the heart of the story, but the final act is shot through with tragedy when Billy’s half-brother kills the bird in an act of cruelty. Kes ends with a desperate protagonist burying his feathered friend.

From a sound and narrative perspective Kes‘ unhappy ending is an essential part of the spirit and message of the film. With a more optimistic finale, Billy’s story wouldn’t carry nearly as much weight. If Alex Garland had taken notes while writing Ken Loach’s classic 28 years laterit seems almost inevitable that the long-awaited zombie sequel will honor Kes with an equally tearful final act, since a film with a thoroughly happy ending can never really be called a rip-off Kes first of all.

While Billy’s story ends in tragedy, Kes leaves a glimmer of hope as the credits roll. The bird may be dead, but Billy has grown and matured over time, so the final scenes don’t seem dominated by gloom and darkness. 28 years later lends itself well to the same bittersweet final notes, if only because it takes place during a zombie apocalypseHowever, refuses to give the audience a clear “happily ever after” also fits Alex Garland’s typical style after films like Ex Machina, Civil WarAnd destruction.

28 Days Later proves that 28 years later there should be no happy ending

The alternative ending of “28 Days Later” was probably more fitting

28 years later The end in misery seems even more likely after 28 days later its finale was changed somewhat controversially. In an unused cut of the original 2002 film, Jim (Cillian Murphy) died after they were shot by Major West, so that in the last scene only Selena and Hannah could be rescued by Scandinavian planes. The official cut of 28 days laterbut changed his approach and enabled Jim to survive as well.

Although both versions have their merits, the final version, in which all three main protagonists survive and are presumably rescued, seems to be the best against the otherwise gruesome backdrop of 28 days laterFrank’s death in the second act certainly casts a shadow over the entire film, even at the end, but Jim’s death would have underlined the cruelty of the apocalypse and probably provided a satisfying full-circle moment, as the journey of the character played by Cillian Murphy begins and ends on a hospital bed.

After we decided on the more popular route, 28 days laterAlex Garland, now a far more established name in the industry, might be more tempted to take the emotionally exhausting path to 28 years laterIf the sequel is really a rip-off KesIt is difficult to imagine any other outcome.

28 years later

28 Years Later is the tentative title of the third film in the “28 Days Later” series, originally conceived by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. The originally planned title “28 Months Later” has not yet been officially confirmed, but preliminary work on a script is said to be underway.

director

Daniel Boyle

Release date

June 20, 2025

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