January 2026, and a new trilogy's middle
28 Years Later The Bone Temple is a 2026 post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Nia DaCosta, written by Alex Garland, and released in the UK on January 13, 2026, and in the US on January 16, 2026, by Sony Pictures through Columbia Pictures. It is the direct sequel to 28 Years Later from 2025, and the fourth instalment in the 28 Days Later series, which began in 2002.
The film was shot back-to-back with its predecessor, with DaCosta taking over directing from Danny Boyle, who directed 28 Years Later, while Garland wrote both, and Boyle, Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, and Bernie Bellew produced, with Cillian Murphy as executive producer. That back-to-back shoot gave the trilogy a unified look, even as directors changed, because the world, the infected, and the survivors remained consistent.
In the UK, The Bone Temple was released as part of a double bill with 28 Years Later on January 13, then separately the following day, a clever release strategy that let fans rewatch the first film, then see the sequel immediately, without waiting. In the US, it opened January 16, as the first big horror film of 2026, in a January packed with horror, including Primate, Return to Silent Hill, and Send Help.
Spike, Kelson, Jimmy, and the Bone Temple
The film stars Ralph Fiennes as Dr Ian Kelson, Jack O'Connell as Jimmy, Alfie Williams as Spike, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson, an Alpha Infected. Spike, who was a child in 28 Years Later, is now adopted into Jimmy's cult, after being saved by them at the end of the previous film, which sets up the sequel's central tension, a boy choosing between a cult that saved him, and a doctor who represents a different kind of survival.
Kelson makes an unexpected connection with Samson, the Alpha, which is the film's most intriguing thread, because it suggests the infected are not just monsters, but beings with history, emotion, and possibly, a future. That connection, plus Kelson's Bone Temple, an ossuary for those killed in the Rage Virus epidemic, gives the film a strange, spiritual centre, where death is honoured, not just feared.
Jimmy, played by O'Connell, who made a brief but notable appearance in 28 Years Later, becomes a major figure here, as a cult leader modelled, in reporting, on a notorious real figure, which adds a disturbing layer to his charm. O'Connell, who also impressed in Sinners, plays Jimmy as charismatic, terrifying, and funny, often at once, which makes Spike's adoption into his cult feel both understandable and horrifying.
Critics loved it, audiences did not show up
The Bone Temple received critical acclaim, becoming the best-reviewed film in the series, according to Wikipedia-linked summaries, with reviewers calling it chilling, visceral, and the most empathetic entry since the 2002 original. One review called it a riveting example of back-to-back sequels done right, comparing it to Back to the Future Parts II and III, and The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, for its ability to expand a world without repeating it.
Yet the film underperformed at the box office, grossing $58.5 million worldwide against a $63 million budget, according to box office summaries. That shortfall is a puzzle, because critical acclaim usually helps horror, but January, competition, and the film's bleak, strange tone may have kept casual audiences away, even as critics praised it.
The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use, with a runtime of 1 hour, 49 minutes, according to review listings. That R rating, plus its art-house leanings, may have limited its audience, compared to more conventional horror, but it also gave DaCosta freedom to make a film that is genuinely disturbing, not just jump-scare scary.
A trilogy confirmed, but at a slower pace
In December 2025, Sony announced the third film in the trilogy would go ahead, with Garland having already penned the final movie, and Boyle hoping to return to direct, though it will not keep the same back-to-back pace, because it still needs to be shot. That confirmation is good news for fans, because The Bone Temple ends as a middle chapter, not as a complete story, and its threads, Spike, Jimmy, Kelson, and Samson, all need a finale.
Cillian Murphy, who starred as Jim in 28 Days Later in 2002, remains executive producer, and was reported as confirmed to reprise Jim, though he is not shown in The Bone Temple trailer, according to trailer coverage. That tease, Murphy's return, is the trilogy's biggest unanswered question, because Jim's fate has been debated since 2002, and a return in the finale would close a 25-year loop.
DaCosta's direction is a key reason the sequel works, because she brings a different eye to Boyle's world, more focused on character, on ritual, and on the strange beauty of a ruined Britain. Her previous films, Candyman and The Marvels, show range, but Bone Temple shows control, with long takes, quiet scenes, and horror that builds, rather than jumps.
Should you watch it, and in what order
Watch 28 Days Later, then 28 Years Later, then The Bone Temple, in order, because the trilogy builds on its own mythology, from the Rage Virus's origins, to Spike's coming-of-age, to Kelson's temple. Skipping to Bone Temple alone would confuse, because its power comes from knowing Spike as a child, then seeing him choose a cult over a doctor.
Watch it at night, with the sound up, because DaCosta's horror is atmospheric, with Iron Maiden, as reported in one memorable scene where Kelson impersonates Satan in a pyrotechnic performance, plus the usual infected screams, all part of a soundscape that is as disturbing as its visuals. Then wait for the finale, which will need to answer whether Spike escapes Jimmy, whether Kelson saves Samson, and whether Jim returns, after twenty-five years away.
Sources and reporting
- Wikipedia — 2026 · Verifies DaCosta directing, Garland writing, January 13 UK and January 16 US dates, and $58.5 million gross against $63 million budget
- Radio Times — January 14, 2026 · Verifies the back-to-back shoot, Jimmy's major role, and the third film greenlight in December 2025
- Fangoria — December 31, 2025 · Verifies the jam-packed January horror slate including Bone Temple, Primate, and Return to Silent Hill
