By Following its announcement three weeks ago, several studios were in the mix and now Sony Pictures has emerged as the victor to distribute Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s “28 Years Later”.
The film revives the “28 Days Later” franchise and is tipped to be the start of a potential whole new trilogy of films. Boyle will direct the first instalment, with Garland set to write all three, and both will produce. Each film is tipped to have a $60 million budget.
THR reports that Sony won a protracted bidding war for the rights, beating out Warner Bros. Pictures, to the package which also reportedly guarantees a theatrical release. Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice would also produce.
“Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy, who broke through as the lead of the first film, is returning as an executive producer and the trade indicates Murphy could also possibly act in the project – but details are under wraps.
Part of the reason Boyle went with Sony is studio head Tom Rothman, who founded Fox Searchlight in the 1990s and worked with Boyle on eight films, from “The Beach” to “Slumdog Millionaire”.
The original film released in 2002 and reinvigorated the zombie genre, popularising the ‘running zombies’ gimmick subsequently seen in the likes of the “Dawn of the Dead” remake and “World War Z”.
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