’28 Years Later’ Wraps Production, Shot On iPhone

The eagerly awaited sequel to the post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Days Later, 28 Years Later, finished principal photography this August using a unique filmmaking approach: the film was shot using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

Before any eyebrows are raised, it’s not completely unusual to hear that the 28 Days Later sequel was shot in an untraditional format. The original 2002 film – starring Cillian Murphy, directed by Danny Boyle, and co-written by Boyle and Alex Garland – was shot using a digital camcorder, something completely unheard of in that age of filmmaking. The low-resolution photography of the camcorder added to the film’s gritty, uncanny, and desolate mood that and helped audiences navigate firsthand a derailed society.

Cillian Murphy plays Jim, a man who wakes up from a coma and returns to a world overcome with a deadly viral infection, causing people to turn animalistic, possessed with primal rage. 28 Days Later was an important genre milestone for a number of reasons, as it marked the first time zombies were portrayed as swift and agile rather than slow and stumbling.

Murphy, Boyle, and Garland each return for 28 Years Later, with new additions to the cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, making for a neatly stacked ensemble.  The film, slated for a Summer 2025 release, has officially achieved movie making history as the biggest film to ever be shot on iPhone, with a production budget of $75 million, WIRED reports. While the iPhone was assisted by industry-grade film attachments to aid in operation, it’s Apple’s mobile camera quality we should expect to hit theater screens, hopefully filled with all the action and bloodshed audiences undoubtedly crave. Anthony Dod Mantle, Boyle’s longtime collaborator, also returns to the franchise as the film’s cinematographer, helming the photography team.

28 Years Later releases June 20th, 2025, and will serve as the first installment in a new trilogy. A sequel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple directed by Nia DaCosta, is already in production. It’s just more than likely this time that fans won’t have to wait 20+ years later in for the next couple of installments.