’28 Years Later’ Star Ralph Fiennes Teases Entire Set “Built of Bones”

Ralph Fiennes has had an impressive 2024. Last year, the actor starred in two well-received projects, The Return and Conclave. The latter film received eight nominations at the 97th Academy Awards, including a Best Picture nomination and a Best Actor nod for Fiennes. In it, Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, a British liberal who finds himself at the center of a power struggle in the wake of the Pope’s death. Fiennes’ performance was incredibly captivating, and while talking to Deadline about his career and upcoming films, his mysterious role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later was inevitably brought up.

It was a long and arduous road to get to 28 Years Later, which is set to premiere this summer. Following several tricky rights issues regarding distribution and original creators Alex Garland and Danny Boyle pursuing other creative endeavors, it’s exciting to finally see the original team that made 28 Days Later reunite to put out a new entry. The terrifying first trailer for the film went viral online, and among the many quickly edited shots showcasing the new world following the outbreak is an imposing and bloodied Ralph Fiennes, looking tribal and surrounded by piles of bones.

It’s striking imagery, and you can’t help but be intrigued and want to know more about the character Fiennes is playing. Unfortunately, while speaking to Deadline, he would remain tight-lipped about his role, only saying that the film is “full of infected people. I’m not one of them. I can tell you there’s a fantastic set built out of bones.”

’28 Years Later’ Is the Start of a New Trilogy

The set built out of bones doesn’t look to be just a creepy production design choice, but also seemingly one with significant thematic relevance, if the title of the next film in the series is any indication. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the next installment in the trilogy that is being developed by Garland and Boyle, with Nia DaCosta set to direct the film, which Garland will also write. There is still so much fans do not know about 28 Years Later, including rampant speculation about Cillian Murphy’s character, among other things.

It seems that Fiennes will have a prominent role beyond the first film, as reports have stated that he will have an even bigger part to play in The Bone Temple. His character, Dr. Kelson, has been described by Fiennes as “a survivor, and the way he survived is very interesting. He’s quite out there in his views on the world. I think audiences will assume something about him and then see where it goes.”

The zombie sequel looks to be an interesting departure from the first film, with Garland and Boyle taking full advantage of the time that has passed, both within the story and in their personal lives since they last stepped into the world of the zombie outbreak. Fiennes has played both heroic and unhinged characters alike, and it will be interesting to see what balance the actor strikes in his role as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later.