The trailer for 28 Years Later is here and many horror fans are both curious and confused. The curiosity comes from the trailer, which gives away little to nothing about its narrative. We don’t even hear the main characters speak to each other but it is still so, so good. The confusion part comes from one infected person who pops up briefly in a field. Prior to this trailer, there were reports that Cillian Murphy would return to the franchise as Jim in 28 Years Later. But we don’t see him in the clip at all… or do we? Is Cillian Murphy actually that zombie sitting in a field of flowers in the 28 Years Later trailer? It is not impossible.
Cillian Murphy is not listed on the official poster for 28 Years Later as a cast member despite previous reports saying he would return as Jim. In the film’s trailer, there is a zombie that briefly rises up out of a field full of yellow flowers and it looks an awful lot like Cillian Murphy. So far, none of the cast nor crew have given an official confirmation but it is possible that his cameo is simply as a zombie. It has been 28 years since we saw him, Selena, and Hannah, after all. It is very, very easy for a person to die and seeing his undead corpse could be final confirmation that he succumbed to…something.
But there’s also comic precedent that could bleed over into this film and explain why Jim is a zombie in 28 Years Later. In BOOM! Studios 28 Days Later comic series that follows Selena, Jim is captured and sentenced to execution for all the deaths at Major Henry West’s compound. Hannah goes to live a “normal” life with a new family, so Selena goes off on her own to continue surviving. Maybe Cillian Murphy’s role in 28 Years Later is simply to appear as a zombie Jim. I find it to be hilarious personally but that’s just me.
