🧟28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2025) – Cast, Plot, Release Date & Everything We Know About Humanity’s Darkest Hour

The rage virus may have burned through cities, but the real terror has only just begun. From director Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) and writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina), the next chapter in the iconic horror saga is here: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Releasing January 16, 2026, this fourth installment in the 28 Days Later franchise pushes the story into uncharted territory — where the infected are no longer the greatest threat. Instead, it is the cruelty of survivors, twisted by power and fear, that defines the nightmare.

🏚️ The Story So Far

The world is broken. After decades of infection and collapse, fragile societies have formed in the ruins of civilization. But within these fractured communities lurk even greater horrors than the rage virus itself.

In The Bone Temple, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) grapples with a disturbing new bond that could change humanity’s future. Meanwhile, Spike (Alfie Williams), the son of Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), crosses paths with Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) — a cult leader whose charisma masks a ruthless, terrifying rule.

As temples of power rise from the ashes, the infected remain ever-present, but the survivors’ descent into inhumanity may prove the ultimate downfall.

As Garland once wrote: “It’s not the virus that destroys us. It’s what we become in its shadow.”

⭐ Cast of Survivors and Monsters

This chilling new entry brings together a powerhouse cast:

• Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson – a survivor whose choices will echo across the world

• Jack O’Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal – the Bone Temple’s magnetic but merciless cult leader

• Alfie Williams as Spike – Jamie’s son, caught in the crossfire of cult and chaos

• Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink – loyal to Jimmy’s cause, but torn by doubt

• Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson – a towering infected Alpha, primal and unstoppable

• Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie – the scavenger father searching for his lost son

• Emma Laird, Maura Bird – members of Jimmy’s cult, enforcing his terrifying rule

• Cillian Murphy returns as Jim – the original survivor from 28 Days Later, stepping back into a broken world 28 years after the outbreak

🎥 Behind the Bone Temple

• Director: Nia DaCosta

• Writer: Alex Garland

• Producers: Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, Bernie Bellew, Danny Boyle, Alex Garland

• Executive Producer: Cillian Murphy

• Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt (12 Years a Slave)

• Music: Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker, Chernobyl)

Shot back-to-back with 28 Years Later (2025), this film deepens the mythology and sets the stage for an already-in-development sequel.

📅 Release Details

• World Premiere: January 16, 2026

• Distribution: Sony Pictures Releasing

• Theatrical Only: Exclusively in cinemas — no early streaming

🔮 Why This Matters

The 28 Days Later films reshaped modern horror, blending raw survival with searing social commentary. From Danny Boyle’s gritty realism to Garland’s haunting allegories, the series has always been about more than monsters.

Now, with The Bone Temple, the franchise asks its darkest question yet: What if survival means becoming worse than the infected?

As Jim (Cillian Murphy) returns, the circle closes — but the world that greets him may be far more terrifying than the one he escaped nearly three decades ago.

🎯 Final Thoughts

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn’t just a sequel — it’s a reckoning. Nia DaCosta and Alex Garland are steering the franchise into mythic horror territory, where cults, corrupted faith, and human depravity rival the infected themselves.

On January 16, 2026, prepare to face not only the undead, but the terrifying truth of humanity’s survival. Because in this world, the infection was never the end — it was only the beginning.