28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later is a 2007 post-apocalyptic action horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who co-wrote it with Rowan Joffé, Enrique López Lavigne, and Jesús Olmo. It is a standalone sequel to 28 Days Later (2002) and the second instalment in its series. The film stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, and Idris Elba. Set six months after the earlier Rage Virus outbreak, it follows the US-led NATO forces' attempt to establish a safe zone in London, the consequences of two young siblings breaking protocol, and the resulting reintroduction of the virus into Britain.

On a budget of $15 million, principal photography began in August 2006 and ran for ten weeks. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland returned as executive producers, and Boyle also contributed second-unit footage that includes parts of the opening sequence. Promotion included the release of a graphic novel tie-in and a projected biohazard warning staged on the White Cliffs of Dover ahead of the film's general release.

The film was released theatrically on 11 May 2007 and is a co-production involving the United Kingdom, United States, and Spain, with distribution handled by 20th Century Fox in the UK and Fox Atomic in the US. It earned $65 million worldwide and generally positive reviews from critics, who largely praised it as a tense, well-crafted militarised disaster horror with a standout opening and set pieces, while noting uneven originality, clarity, and plausibility compared with its predecessor. Commentators also noted themes disparaging American militarised crisis management, particularly the Bush administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq. Major plot elements in the film have been recontextualised in the third instalment, 28 Years Later, which was released on 20 June 2025.

Plot

During the initial Rage Virus outbreak in Britain, Don, his wife Alice, and four other survivors shelter in a cottage outside London. They hear a boy screaming and allow him inside, only to discover that a horde of Infected has followed him. As the Infected invade the cottage and kill the other survivors, Don urges Alice to leave the boy, but she refuses and is cornered by the Infected. Don flees and leaves on a boat.

Twenty-eight weeks later, many Infected have died of starvation. The United Nations attempts to secure and repopulate a largely empty England, and US-led NATO forces bring settlers into a protected zone in London. Don and Alice's two children, Tammy and Andy, arrive among the settlers and are housed on District One, a heavily guarded safe zone on the Isle of Dogs. Tammy and Andy sneak out at night to their former home to retrieve family photographs and find Alice alive but ill. American soldiers capture the siblings and take them and Alice to an isolation unit, where the medical officer, Scarlet, discovers that Alice is an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. Don, consumed with guilt, visits Alice, kisses her, becomes infected, and kills her.

As the newly infected Don goes on a rampage and spreads the virus, Scarlet concludes that the siblings' genetic makeup may be important for developing a cure or vaccine and helps them escape. With infected and uninfected people difficult to distinguish, American troops are ordered to kill everyone. Doyle, a sniper, refuses to carry out the order and escapes with Scarlet and the siblings as the US Air Force firebombs parts of London in an attempt to stop the spread.

The group waits for a helicopter extraction arranged by Doyle's friend, Flynn, but Flynn insists on taking only Doyle. Doyle refuses to abandon the others, and they head toward Wembley Stadium, where uninfected civilians have been ordered to assemble. They hide in a car as soldiers with flamethrowers arrive, intending to kill anyone who might be infected. When the car will not start, Doyle attempts to push-start it and is burned alive. In the confusion, Scarlet, Tammy, and Andy escape into a dark London Underground. There, Don appears, kills Scarlet, and bites Andy. Tammy kills her father, but Andy becomes an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. Flynn finds the siblings and flies them to France. Twenty-eight days later, a voice on the helicopter radio, speaking with a French accent, requests help, suggesting that infected people have emerged from the Paris Métro and are attacking Paris.

Cast

Production

Development

Following the international success of 28 Days Later (2002), the filmmakers began exploring a sequel and focused on a scenario set after the Rage Virus outbreak had been contained. The producers described the core question as what would happen once the disease had been eradicated and the quarantine lifted, including who would coordinate returning residents and how survivors would re-enter public life.

Rowan Joffé was hired to produce a first screenplay draft, after which the filmmakers began searching for a director who could extend the series without replicating the first film's perspective on London. They stated that bringing in a director from outside the United Kingdom was intended to provide a new visual approach to the city.

Danny Boyle cited Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's debut feature Intacto (2001) as a key reason for recommending him, and the producers approached Fresnadillo to direct after producer Andrew Macdonald and screenwriter Alex Garland responded to the film in the same terms. Fresnadillo accepted the invitation after discussions with the producing team, and his long-time producing partner Enrique López-Lavigne joined the project as well.

Fresnadillo and López-Lavigne then worked with Spanish screenwriter Jesús Olmo to develop the screenplay, describing a process that took almost a year and that shaped the sequel around a family and the lasting consequences of earlier choices. Boyle and Garland returned as executive producers, with the production describing Garland as closely involved in story and script work.

Pre-production

Casting was organised around a central family. The filmmakers sought to cast actors who could sustain both intimate scenes and large-scale action beats, and they identified Robert Carlyle as someone who could anchor the story and work closely with the younger cast members. Casting director Shaheen Baig expanded the search for child performers beyond conventional drama schools, inviting more than 600 children to workshops before selecting Mackintosh Muggleton. Imogen Poots was cast as Tammy after extensive auditions, and Rose Byrne joined after earlier work with Boyle and Macdonald on Sunshine (2007).

The production assembled a film crew that included cinematographer Enrique Chediak, production designer Mark Tildesley, costume designer Jane Petrie, make-up designer Konnie Daniel, and editor Chris Gill.

Because the sequel featured a larger number of infected than the original film, the movement of the infected was treated as a core design element during preparation. Movement specialist Paul Kasey worked with Fresnadillo in pre-production on camera tests aimed at establishing the infected's look and performance style. Kasey then recruited performers with movement-intensive backgrounds, including dance, gymnastics, mime, and circus work, and led workshops to ensure consistent behavior across the infected group.

A Fangoria magazine feature article on the film also highlights the practical impact of special makeup effects planning on performance. Robert Carlyle said that infected make-up involved contact lenses and that he spent several days shooting in that state, adding that lens fit could affect comfort during takes.

Filming

Principal photography began in August 2006 and ran for ten weeks. The production was based at 3 Mills Studios in East London and included a week of rehearsal, nine weeks shooting in London, and a week on location in Hertfordshire.

For the film's military-controlled safe zone, District One, the production secured permission to shoot in Canary Wharf, describing the location as advantageous because it is surrounded by water and connected to City Airport by an elevated rail line that could be framed as secure access within the story. To achieve the earlier film's desolate city imagery, the production filmed sequences in central London early in the morning with the assistance of local authority and police. Other reported locations included Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Shaftesbury Avenue, Regents Park, Millennium Bridge, and Wembley Stadium.

Fresnadillo said he pursued immediacy by shooting in a style he compared to a horror documentary, using handheld work and multiple cameras, and aligning performance and production design choices with that approach. Jeremy Renner described a shooting method that prioritised on-the-spot camera decisions over a rigid shot list.

Danny Boyle remained involved beyond executive producing, providing casting and crew support and shooting three days of second unit footage, including parts of the opening sequence.

A Mental Floss retrospective on the film reported that the filmmakers used "day for night" photography for some of the later sequences to help sell a citywide blackout without extensive digital light removal, while still completing hundreds of computer-generated shots on a compressed post-production schedule. The same source reported that the Paris coda was a late addition, devised near the end of production and filmed quickly with a reduced crew using HD cameras.