Rage Reboot: Jodie Comer's Brutal Dive into the Apocalypse
Jodie Comer just wrapped 28 Years Later—and she's calling it “intense,” “emotional,” and like “living through the end of the world.” In a featurette dropped by Odeon Cinemas, the Emmy-winner opened up about her experience filming Danny Boyle's long-awaited return to his rage-infested nightmare. And from the sound of it? This isn't just another sequel. This is a war zone.
This Isn't Just Another Horror Flick. It's Boyle Unleashed.
Let's break it down:
- The film's $75M budget makes it the most expensive installment yet in the 28 Days Later universe—triple the original's cost.
- Garland and Boyle are back in the same trench for the first time in 22 years.
- And Comer? She's part of a powerhouse cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Erin Kellyman.
So what's different this time? According to Ralph Fiennes, it's not just about infected hordes anymore—it's about survival politics. Think The Road, but with red eyes and worse hygiene.
“Britain is 28 years into this plague… a boy leads his dying mother through the woods. What they find isn't just horror—it's something mutated,” Fiennes told IndieWire.
And in the official synopsis? We now know the survivors are holed up on a fortified island, connected to the mainland by one causeway. The setup is part John Carpenter, part Children of Men, with one massive question hanging over it all:
How do you rebuild a world that never stopped falling apart?
The Hidden Code in Boyle's Comeback
Here's what most people missed: This film isn't erasing 28 Weeks Later—but it is ignoring the Hollywood need for “canon.” Garland even admitted it: “Canon's not a very Danny Boyle word.” Translation? 28 Years Later is starting its own infection chain.
Also wild: Boyle's already handed over the reins of Part II to Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels), and the second film is already wrapped. That's the kind of franchise foresight studios pretend to have—but rarely pull off. They're betting on a trilogy that reshapes the genre.
This could be the most ambitious horror franchise revival since Halloween (2018). But here's the kicker—Cillian Murphy is executive producing, and he's supposed to return in Part II “in a surprising way.”
You read that right: Jim might still be alive. And if so? He's been out there in the rage-torn wasteland for nearly three decades. Just… marinating in trauma.
Rage Virus Redux: Art or IP Grab?
Let's be honest: Not every long-gap sequel works. (The Matrix Resurrections, anyone?*) But Boyle and Garland aren't just plugging in nostalgia. They're building something mythic. With Comer in the spotlight, Fiennes giving it literary weight, and a return to practical, on-location chaos, this could be the horror event of 2025.
So here's the question:
Is this a visionary resurrection? Or a prestige zombie cash grab?
Would you pay $20 to watch Comer rage against the undead machine—or rage at the screen?
Let's find out.
