'28 Years Later 3' Status Seemingly Confirmed With New Image

A new image has seemingly confirmed the fate of the next chapter in the 28 Years Later saga. Following months of worry after the latest installment in the beloved horror franchise, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, bombed at the box office (despite rave reviews), lead actor and star Alfie Williams, who plays the young post-apocalyptic survivor, Spike, has taken to social media to tease the franchise’s future.

Coming 23 years after the seminal zombie thriller 28 Days Later, last year’s 28 Years Later at last reveals what happened to the world after the onslaught of the Rage Virus and the “zombies” that took over. Directed by Danny Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Garland, 28 Years Later boasts a stellar cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Alfie Williams, with the latter returning for this year’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which finds Williams’ Spike under the blood-soaked wing of cult leader Sir Jimmy Crystal, played by Sinners’ Jack O’Connell.

And it’s Alfie Williams who has now seemingly confirmed the fate of the planned third and final installment in the zombie saga. Talking to Instagram, the actor shared an image of himself in archery practice, a trusted survival skill in the post-apocalypse, alongside the caption “It’s Great to be Back!” All finished off with a cheeky winking emoji.

All of which couldn’t be much clearer. 28 Years Later 3 is happening, Alfie Williams will return as Spike, and he’ll have further honed his bow and arrow expertise for the franchise finale. After the frankly depressing box office results yielded by The Bone Temple, which grossed just $58 million worldwide against a $63 million budget, this update from Williams comes as a huge sigh of relief for those longing to see how the 28 Years Later saga wraps up. Especially after The Bone Temple’s cliffhanger ending.

While the follow-up had already reportedly been greenlit, with returning writer Alex Garland having started on the script, and director Danny Boyle set to return to helm the project, the box office failure caused concern that 28 Years Later 3 could be canceled by Sony Pictures. Thankfully, it seems the studio won’t be moved by something as frivolous as money, allowing Boyle and Garland to wrap up their franchise properly.

The addition of Academy Award-winner and Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy also surely helps, with the actor reprizing his role as 28 Days Later survivor Jim during the final moments of The Bone Temple. The acclaimed actor is set to play a major role in 28 Years Later 3, with The Bone Temple revealing that he now has a daughter, Sam, played by Maiya Eastmond, with the pair last seen gearing up to protect Spike and Erin Kellyman’s Kellie from an incoming horde of rage-fueled zombies. Mercifully, it’s now looking like we will get to find out what happens next.