Danny Boyle filmed '28 Years Later' with an iPhone 15

In the last few hours, it has been circulating on social networks that Danny Boylehas filmed 28 Years Laterthe highly anticipated sequel to 28 Days Later, using an iPhone 15, specifically a Pro Max model.

How true is this? According to reports from WIRED, very true. And not only that. While there is already a precedent for other film projects filmed using smartphones – for example Unsane the Steven Soderbergh– The $75 million budget zombie sequel becomes the largest project to be shot using a smartphone.

Boyle directs the script for Alex Garlandscreenwriter of the original, and a cast made up of Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Bikeriders), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nosferatu, The Fall Guy), Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter), y Jack O’Connell (Back to Black, Unbroken).

Principal photography wrapped in late August. Filming was primarily done on Holy Island, an island off the coast of northeast England.

WIRED explains about the use of this technology, reminding us that Boyle filmed the original installment, 28 Days Laterwith “an innovative digital camera for its time, one of the first Hollywood films shot on a Canon XL-1. The coveted $4,000 professional consumer camcorder had interchangeable lenses and recorded data on MiniDV (digital video) tapes.”

The outlet adds that members of the film's crew were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements to prevent the fact that the movie was shot on smartphones from being disclosed. However, WIRED explains that a photograph taken by a paparazzi in July (shown below), “It shows Comer standing near camera equipment that appears to be a standard choice for high-end gear. But when zoomed in, it becomes clear that the lens is not attached to a regular camera body or a high-end modular system, but rather to a protective cage containing what could be an iPhone.”

The use of these smartphones to film the sequel was confirmed by “people connected to the film, detailing that the model used was the iPhone 15 Pro Max.”

Boyle is accompanied on the set by the director of photography Anthony Dod Mantlewith whom he won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaireand who has been director of photography on other Boyle projects such as 28 Days Later, Trance, T2 Trainspotting y 127 Hours.

CILLIAN MURPHY REPRESENTS HIS ROLE AS JIM

In addition to the return of Boyle and Garland as director and screenwriter, respectively, the protagonist of the original is also back, Cillian Murphy reprising his role as Jim.

In the original film, 28 Days Later (2002), Jim wakes up from a coma following a cycling accident, to discover that England is now a desolate, post-apocalyptic meltdown, thanks to a virus that turned its victims into raging killers. Jim then meets a survivor played by Naomie Harris, and a maniacal military man, played by Christopher Eccleston.

Recently, Tim Rothman, president of Sony Motion Pictures Group, revealed that Murphy is returning in “a surprising and growing way.”

IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A TRILOGY

28 Years Later It is not only a long-awaited sequel to 28 Days Later y 28 Weeks Laterbut rather It will be the beginning of a new trilogyThe first installment will be directed by Boyle, while Garland will write all three installments. The two will produce alongside the original's producer Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, and Bernie Bellew, with Murphy serving as executive producer.

It has also already been announced It’s DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) as the director of the second film in the trilogy. The plans are for Boyle to direct the first film, with the second to be shot immediately afterward. This way, the directors can agree on where they see the story going, while also bringing their own unique visions to each film.

In addition to becoming a commercial hit, the original 2002 film breathed new life into the zombie subgenre, introducing a new form of undead, moving away from slow walkers to being ferocious and fast. It also examined the fragile nature of society in such pandemic scenarios, which would later be explored in other films such as Zombieland, World War Zand the series The Walking Deadamong others.

Sony Pictures set the theatrical release of 28 Years Later for the June 20, 2025.