New Story Details Revealed for 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE Thanks to Recent Test Screening

A recent test screening for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has shed some exciting light on what director Nia DaCosta is bringing to the table with this sequel to 28 Years Later.

Following the mixed box office results of Danny Boyle's return to the franchise earlier this year, this follow-up could be exactly what Sony needs to keep the trilogy dream alive.

While 28 Years Later earned strong reviews, its $150 million global take on a $60 million budget left Sony Pictures uncertain about greenlighting the planned third installment. Enter DaCosta, who might have just changed the tide.

According to a report from World of Reel, the test screening went over incredibly well, with "multiple applause breaks during the film." One viewer even declared, "I thought part 1 was outstanding, but this surpassed it."

That’s an exciting statement, especially given the divisive introduction of Jack O'Connell's character Jimmy, whose debut in 28 Years Later was... intense and interesting, to say the least. This time around, though, he’s apparently stealing the show as the villain, with the site calling it the "villain performance of the year."

The report says: "The central dynamic is essentially a duel between O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes' bone shriner, Dr. Ian Kelson, who has a larger role than in the first instalment and delivers a performance that's 'even better' than the previous film."

As for the finale, expect something massive. The third act reportedly includes a sequence "that will be talked about for much of 2026." Also praised is the work of screenwriter Alex Garland, whose script seems to be elevating the horror and psychological depth of the series.

DaCosta is also going for a different visual approach. Unlike Boyle's handheld aesthetic, she’s embraced a more traditional shooting style, which might make this one feel more cinematic and less gritty.

Unfortunately, fans hoping for more Cillian Murphy may be disappointed. He's only expected to appear briefly in The Bone Temple. But Boyle knows how to leverage that star power.

"[Nia] gets a bit of Cillian at the end," he said earlier this summer. "All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed."

Boyle added, "You promise [the studio] Cillian Murphy, that's quite a deflection of any technical concerns, they soon forget. Yeah, we nakedly used that to get our own way. What better promise could you make?"

He continued, "We haven't got the money for the third one yet. It will depend how the first one does, I guess. But hopefully if we do ok, they'll give us the go-ahead for the money and for the third one. Everybody's standing by for that, really. Including Cillian."

In 28 Years Later, we saw how humanity was coping after decades of living in a world ravaged by the rage virus. Set on a quarantined island linked to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway, the story follows a survivor who ventures back into the mainland and uncovers dark, mutated secrets about the infected and the people who remain.

Whether zombies can still bring audiences back to theaters remains to be seen. But if Sony can pitch The Bone Temple with a bit more mainstream appeal, this could be the shot in the arm the franchise needs.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hits theaters January 16, 2026.