Licence to thrill

THE STAR STUNS IN A NEW HORROR FILM, WHILE BUZZ BUILDS THAT HE'S BOUND FOR BOND

- By Jennie Noonan

It's been over two decades since the Rage Virus wreaked havoc on the world in director Danny Boyle's apocalyptic cult classic 28 Days Later, starring a relatively unknown Cillian Murphy as a courier who wakes up from a coma four weeks after a deadly virus has caused a zombie outbreak in London.

Fans enjoyed an update in 2007 with standalone sequel 28 Weeks Later. Now, a long-awaited third instalment, 28 Years Later (in cinemas June 19), will let audiences see how humanity has fared against fast-moving zombies. Boyle has returned to direct the reboot, which boasts a star-studded cast, including Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

"These are, like, the survivalists," Aaron, 35, said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in December of the plot of the movie, which will kick off a new trilogy of the franchise. "If you think about the [COVID] pandemic, of that two-year period, and then elongate that for 28 years, it just gives you so much imagination and fills in so much, but also layers of trauma, obviously."

Shooting the project, which was filmed in part on an iPhone 15, was pure joy. "I feel like there's not enough vocabulary to articulate how extraordinary this shoot was," the actor continued. "I had one of the most incredible experiences on set ever, and I think that's because Danny Boyle is an absolutely legendary filmmaker and director. And the enthusiasm -he's like a child and you just need to plug in and take some of that energy. It’s like electric and it invigorated and inspired me again to be an actor. I know it sounds bizarre, but there was a moment where you're like, 'Oh, I f--king love acting again.”