Over 180 months later, some fans are still expecting 28 Months Later, while others have had their hopes die a violent, bloody death.
Redditor KenzoGinseng is just the most recent fan to ask whether a sequel to 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, which is itself a sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later, will happen.
Like many others, KenzoGinseng considers that franchise to be the pinnacle of zombie cinema, which means they’ve spent many painful years waiting for the natural, months-based follow-up. That’s enough time for many fans to have lost hope, especially since Weeks came out five years after Days, and it’s been 15 years since Weeks.
“In this new world of Hollywood, I wouldn’t count on it,” fratdex concluded. “Never say never, but to revive a 20 year old horror franchise with a 3rd installment probably wouldn’t fly.”
Other Redditors have similar doubts:
There’s a bit of optimism peeking through the highly-upvoted pessimism. A number of Redditors believe that the third installment will be released in 2030, 28 years after the first. Of course, it will be called 28 Years Later.
Another Redditor cited the fact that original director Danny Boyle and original writer Alex Garland have brainstormed about the sequel as evidence that we shouldn’t give up hope. “Alex Garland and I have a wonderful idea for the third part,” Boyle told The Independent in 2019. “It’s properly good.” That Boyle made T2 Trainspotting 21 years after the original is also encouraging.
Like the franchise’s victims, dead hopes can be resurrected.