Looks like the deadly Rage Virus is back again to wreak havoc on humanity as Danny Boyle’s genre-redefining zombie apocalypse franchise, 28 Days Later, returns with its third instalment. With 28 Years Later releasing on 20 June 2025, this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the 28 Days Later movies and comics in chronological order.
Released in 2002, the first film was a gritty, low-budget title in the horror genre that became a surprise hit at the box office. Written by Alex Garland and starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston, it grossed over USD 74 million against a budget of just USD 8 million.
Titled 28 Weeks Later, the sequel arrived in 2007. It was also quite a success with a collection of USD 65 million, against a budget of USD 9.8 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Now the franchise is expanding with a trilogy of sequels. The first one being 28 Years Later.
Additionally, the franchise led to the creation of a comic book series by the same name, carrying the story forward. With so many interconnected storylines, let’s see what the correct chronological order is to explore all the titles.
Watch all the 28 Days Later movies in chronological order and see where the comics fit in
The 28 Days Later movies in chronological order
I feel it is an extremely clever move to have the film titles indicate the actual gap of events in the movie — the three stories are 28 days, 28 weeks and 28 years apart from each other. Hence, the titles mirror the chronological order of the movies.
1. 28 Days Later (2002)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson
Synopsis: It has been 28 days since Jim (Murphy), a young bicycle messenger, was in an accident and ended up in a coma. When he wakes up, London is a grim and deserted city. Turns out, a killer virus has been unleashed that is turning Great Britain into a zombie land. A bitter struggle to get out of the city with fellow survivors to a military encampment at Manchester follows, but the troubles are just beginning.
Timeline: The movie is set 28 days after the original outbreak, which turns ordinary people into ferocious infected.
Murphy, in the lead, delivers a stunning performance, which makes him an integral part of the movie franchise.
Also read: These 25 greatest horror movies of the last 25 years are not for the faint-hearted
2. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Robert Carlyle, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton
Synopsis: 28 weeks after the Rage Virus took over Great Britain, the US army has been able to restore peace by securing a small island called the Isle of Dogs for the uninfected population. Don (Carlyle), one of the survivors of the original outbreak, is a caregiver on the island. His children, Tammy (Poots) and Andy (Muggleton), join him after their school trip. However, this accidentally unleashes yet another horrible outbreak of the deadly, which is more ghastly than the previous one.
Timeline: This second film is set 6 months after the events of 28 Weeks Later.
Although Boyle doesn’t direct the film due to other commitments, he joined as an executive producer.
Also read: All the Ghostbusters movies ranked from worst to best, by IMDb ratings
3. 28 Years Later (2025)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes
Synopsis: It has been 28 years since the Rage Virus escaped the British research facility. A ruthless quarantine is still in place, as a handful of survivors have found shelter on a small island connected to the mainland with a heavily guarded causeway. When one of the group members leaves the island for a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but also the other survivors.
Timeline: The third instalment of the 28 Days Later film series is set around 28 years after the first outbreak. With Alex Garland serving as the screenwriter and Boyle helming it, audiences expected Murphy to return as well. However, the Irish actor is credited as an executive producer and will not be seen onscreen. Instead, he is reported to appear in the upcoming sequels.
Did you know, Boyle shot the entire film using iPhone 15 ProMax? The phones had special lens attachments to enhance the picture quality of the shots.
4. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Laird
About the film: This will be the first time in the franchise that a 28-something gap of events is not considered, and the events will follow the 2025 title. In post-production already, this sequel is eyeing a 16 January 2026 release. Additionally, Cillian Murphy is returning to this film. In fact, speaking to Business Insider, Boyle said, “All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed.”
This will be followed by a yet-untitled sequel that will complete the 28 Years Later trilogy.
So, where do the 28 Days Later comics fit in?
For a complete overview of the 28 Days Later story, you will have to consider the comic books as well. BOOM! Studios and Fox Atomic Comics offer more stories of life after the Rage Virus outbreak.
28 Days Later: The Aftermath (2007) is a graphic novel that bridges the gap between the first two films. It is divided into four stories that range from shortly before the outbreak to several weeks afterwards.
This is followed by 28 Days Later, a 24-issue comic series published by BOOM! Studios between 2009 and 2011. It follows the central character, Selena, one of the few survivors of the original outbreak. Hardened by her experiences, she teams with other key characters like Mark, Jim, Frank and Hannah before the events of the next two films.
Despite citing incidents from the movies, there are inconsistencies between the timeline of the events in the comics and films.
(Hero and featured image credit: 28 Years Later/ IMDb)
