Return of the Zombies

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle shot much of 28 Years Later using the iPhone 15 Pro Max

- Alison de Souza

NEW YORK - Over two decades after his breakout film 28 Days Later (2002) revived the zombie apocalypse genre and sparked a long-running debate about whether it was, in fact, a zombie movie - English director Danny Boyle is back with another chapter.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on June 19, 28 Years Later is the much-anticipated continuation of a franchise that began with Irish actor Cillian Murphy's character waking up in a London ravaged by a rage-inducing virus.

And that story was picked up with the sequel 28 Weeks Later (2007), directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

At a recent New York screening of the new film, Boyle, joined by English cast members Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, says the enduring appeal of the first movie surprised him.

"When you make films, it doesn't matter whether they're successful or not. They all fade gradually, as they should. People forget them.

"But some of them, occasionally, they stick. And the first one just seemed to resonate with people still," says the 68-year-old filmmaker.

"People used to put on screenings and ask me to go to Q&As, and people would be really intense."