Why 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Is Different From Usual Zombie Movies

In the build-up to the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, director Nia DaCosta has come out to share how the movie, and the Alex Garland-penned franchise in general, differs from your everyday zombie movies. DaCosta, who recently expressed her desire to develop a live-action Invincible film, explained in a recent interview that the themes showcased in her movie are generally missing from the staple entries in the zombie genre.

Nia DaCosta thinks the ‘zombie genre can be really hopeless’

During her recent appearance on a podcast, the up-and-coming filmmaker noted that the 28 Days Later franchise and its latest installment, The Bone Temple, showcase a “hopeful” setting, unlike many other zombie flicks.

“I really feel like it’s the way that it tackles existential themes,” Nia DaCosta said on Deadline’s Crew Call podcast, before adding, “Yeah, I really feel this depth of hope in them, because I think sometimes the zombie genre can be really hopeless, it can be sort of punishing, and it can kind of be shaking its finger at humans, whereas I feel like this is actually a really hopeful movie.”

DaCosta further continued, “Some dark things happen, and there’s a lot of violence. I really think that the humanist vision that [Ralph Fiennes’] Kelson is positing is incredibly hopeful because it’s all about leaning into each other and holding onto each other, and that being beautiful. And so that is something, for me, that really drew me to it and that stuck out as different.”

Shot back-to-back with its predecessor, 28 Years Later, 2026’s The Bone Temple sees Spike (Alfie Williams) join the cult-like gang of Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). However, he soon realizes the nightmarish consequence of his encounter with the psychopathic leader. On the other hand, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) stumbles upon a discovery that could change the fate of the Rage virus-ridden world forever.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to hit theaters on January 16, 2026.

Source: Comingsoon.net