28 Years Lateris the long-awaited sequel to28 Days Later, the 2002 zombie thriller that helped define the genre for over two decades. Thehighly-anticipated filmonce again uses a unique visual aesthetic akin to the first installment, but it will make one key change to the way audiences will experience the horrifying story.
During an interview with IGN,28 Years Laterdirector Danny Boyle revealed that the sequel was filmed in a widescreen format, unlike the original 2002 film, which was filmed using a digital video recorder in a 4:3 aspect ratio.28 Years Lateruses a 2.76:1 ratio, which is a much wider, all-encompassing format that will have audiences “scanning, looking around” for zombies on the big screen. Boyle explained the key visual change, and how it enhances the sequel:
“We used a very widescreen format in this one. We thought we’d benefit from the unease that the first film created about the speed and the velocity, the visceral [aspect] of the way the infected were depicted. If you’re on a widescreen format, they could be anywhere… you have to keep scanning, looking around for them, really.”
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This new “big” format change was donethrough the use of iPhones, 20 of them to be exact (for select sequences). The filmmaking team for28 Years Laterbuilt a wholly unique rig that held over a dozen phone cameras at once to capture the widescreen aspect ratio (seen in the image below). As previously reported, the ambitious production used the iPhone 15 Pro Max to pull off the unique visual style of the film. Boyle explained the use of the new technology, which includes other, smaller setups with fewer phones, while teasing a “wonderful shot” that was pulled off with the 20-camera rig.
“One for eight cameras, which can be carried very easily by one person, one for 10 cameras, and one for 20. I never say this, but there is an incredible shot in the second half [of the film] where we use the 20-rig camera, and you’ll know it when you see it. … It’s quite graphic but it’s a wonderful shot that uses that technique, and in a startling way that kind of kicks you into a new world rather than thinking you’ve seen it before.”
‘28 Years Later’ Cast, Crew and Plot
28 Years Lateris set to hit theaters on Jul 29, 2025. It is directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland (Ex Machina,Civil War), both of whom collaborated on the groundbreaking 2002 film,28 Days Later. Cillian Murphy isconfirmed to returnfor the new28 Years Latertrilogy, but the sequel coming out this summer will feature a mostly new cast. The film stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell , Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes. Check out the official plot synopsis below:
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Source:IGN
28 Years Later
