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The horror business is booming in the market of 2025 movies. And in my personal opinion, I’d be putting the crown on the metaphorical head of 28 Years Later, an upcoming horror movie I’ve been waiting to see for almost that exact amount of time. The cloud of mystery surrounding this potential trilogy of legacy-quels is part of the allure, especially when you have actors like Ralph Fiennes teasing their new characters.
Conclave’s star has been especially fun to observe in action, as Fiennes’ previous 28 Years Later remarks laid out quite a foundation for what to expect from his role of Dr. Kelson. Pitching him as a “force for good” certainly counters some people’s expectation for what he might be doing in the virus ravaged UK. And yet, when Ralph Fiennes offered this update to Empire, it kind of gave me pause:
He’s a survivor, and the way he survived is very interesting. He’s quite out there in his views on the world. I think audiences will assume something about him and then see where it goes.
On the outside, that might not feel like too much of a red flag. One sort of read on this 28 Years Later character cooked up by writer Alex Garland is that he’s similar to Nosferatu’s Professor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe). This could very well be a scientific crackpot whose “out there” outlook could be considered so by the new society that’s formed in an England that’s been isolated from the world for almost three decades.
It took a little while for me to roll those words around in my head, but eventually I realized why Ralph Fiennes’ comments gave me a little bit of unease. To explain that, I’ll need to share with you a clip from 28 Days Later:
Survival, and what people have to do in order to ensure it, is a theme that’s always permeated the 28 franchise. With Alex Garland admitting “time” is 28 Years Later’s plot engine, surely the line between what’s barbaric and what’s justified in being “a force for good” has shifted, right?
Another piece of context for this character comes from director Danny Boyle, who will be handling the helming duties for the first and third entries of 28 Years Later’s trilogy. When speaking about how Ralph Fiennes’ character develops in Nia DaCosta’s middle entry The Bone Temple, the Trainspotting director shared this:
[Dr. Kelson] is a much bigger part of the next one. He strides forward into the second film in an enormous way, where the question of what he’s after and what he wants to do gets fully resolved.
Maybe I’m overreacting and Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson really is a force for good, who, at his worst, may have a rough edge and uncompromising survival instinct. That’s exactly what we saw Cillian Murphy turn into at the end of the original 28 Days Later, as Jim’s mild mannered nature was challenged in the third act.
Of course, now I’m wondering if the good doctor somehow fits into my theory about Jim’s role in 28 Years Later. Honestly, if I don’t cut myself off now, I might keep you good folks here the whole night. So just know that 28 Years Later kicks off with its first chapter’s arrival in theaters on June 20th, with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple landing in theaters on January 16th, 2026.