Videos by ComicBook.com
“No. I was certainly, at that point, sort of done with directing and wanted to write for other people,” Garland said. “[That] was one thing, but also, even if Danny hadn’t wanted to do it… I think if Danny hadn’t wanted to direct it, that probably would have just ended it at that point. And I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to step in and, take that role.”
“It just wasn’t the dynamic by which the original film was made,” he went on. “And the original film was the product of lots of people working together. Cast, crew and sort of broadly… But within it was some kind of interaction between me and Danny. And that had to be true for this one as well.”
[RELATED: 28 Days Later Had a Forgotten Sequel Thanks to Comics (& It’s Worth Reading)]
For Garland to describe himself as “done with directing” is a bit surprising considering his successes over the last decade. He wrote and directed Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, and Civil War during that time. He also wrote and co-directed Warfare with director Ray Mendoza, which came out just this year. Garland was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for Ex Machina, and he won several other awards for the movie.
Still, fans were also excited to see him reunited with Boyle for this long-awaited revival. The duo made 28 Days Later together on a tight budget, and it was more successful than studios and distributors anticipated. After that, the reigns were handed off to other creators for a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which is not as beloved as the original. To see the original team back together now has fans very excited for what’s to come.
Garland and Boyle’s 28 Years Later hits theaters on June 20th in the U.S. It was shot simultaneously with a sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which was written by Garland but directed by Nia DaCosta. It’s currently scheduled to hit theaters on January 16, 2026. Finally, they will wrap up their story with an untitled fifth film written by Garland and directed by Boyle, which doesn’t have a release date yet.
