In this harrowing sequel to the new trilogy, the surviving boy Spike is thrust into the lawless badlands beyond the sanctuary, where he falls into the clutches of a violent cult led by the maniacal "Sir Lord" Jimmy Crystal. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Dr. Ian Kelson continues his macabre construction of a "Bone Temple" to memorialize the dead, but his dangerous experiments on an Alpha infected named Samson threaten to unleash a new form of horror upon what remains of humanity.
Information |
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|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United Kingdom |
Premiere date |
January 16, 2026 |
Running time |
110 minutes |
Genre |
Drama Horror Sci-Fi Thriller |
Budget |
$63,000,000 |
Box Office |
$47,400,000 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Nia DaCosta |
Produced by |
Andrew Macdonald Danny Boyle Alex Garland Peter Rice |
Written by |
Alex Garland |
Music by |
Hildur Guðnadóttir |
Cinematography |
Sean Bobbitt |
Edited by |
Jake Roberts |
Production Co. |
DNA Films Decibel Films |
Distributed by |
Sony Pictures Releasing |
Official Trailer
The Plot
A Brutal Initiation into the Fingers
In the desolate wake of a global outbreak, a young man named Spike finds himself rescued from the clutches of the infected by a predatory gang known as "The Fingers." Led by the magnetic yet delusional Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, the group operates under a twisted hierarchy of shared identity. To earn his place, Spike is forced into a barbaric ritual: a fight to the death against another member named Jimmy Shite. Spike emerges victorious, and in accordance with the leader’s obsession, Sir Jimmy renames him "Jimmy." He joins a ranks of others who have lost their original identities, including the empathetic Jimmy Ink and the lethally sadistic Jimmima.
The Guardian of the Bone Temple
Elsewhere, Dr. Ian Kelson maintains a solitary and grim existence within the Bone Temple, a massive ossuary he built as a memorial to the millions lost during the initial collapse. His primary focus is a localized Alpha infected he has dubbed Samson. Over time, a bizarre and fragile bond has formed between the scientist and the creature. Kelson observes that Samson has become addicted to the sedative blowpipe used to subdue him, purposely allowing himself to be drugged because the chemicals grant him moments of human-like lucidity. In these fleeting states, Samson defies his monstrous nature, choosing to eat berries instead of raw flesh and even attempting to clothe himself. Just as Kelson contemplates euthanizing the Alpha to end his suffering, Samson mutters a single word: "moon." This breakthrough convinces Kelson that the virus is not a death sentence for the soul, but a treatable condition.
The Massacre at the Farm
The tenuous peace of the wasteland is shattered when The Fingers raid a farm inhabited by a small group of survivors, including Tom and his pregnant partner, Cathy. While Cathy manages to vanish into the rafters of a barn, the others are captured. Sir Jimmy’s madness takes a dark, religious turn as he claims to hear the voice of Satan—whom he believes is his own son—commanding a blood sacrifice. He orders his followers to skin the survivors alive, a sight so gruesome that it sends Spike fleeing the barn in a fit of nausea. In a desperate bid for survival, Tom is offered a chance to join the gang if he can defeat Jimmima in combat. Though he fights bravely, Jimmima quickly gains the upper hand. Before she can deliver the killing blow, Cathy leaps from the loft, driving a hook into Jimmima and killing her instantly.
Fire, Flight, and a False Identity
The barn descends into a chaotic inferno as Tom manages to set the structure ablaze, killing several Fingers before he is ultimately struck down. Cathy flees into the night, pursued by Spike. When he catches up to her, Spike does not try to capture her; instead, he breaks down, begging her to take him with her. Cathy, hardened by the night’s horrors, feigns agreement only to punch Spike and incapacitate him, leaving him behind as she disappears into the wilderness. With his numbers dwindling and his authority questioned, Sir Jimmy lashes out at Spike for the failure. However, Jimmy Ink, becoming increasingly disillusioned with the leader’s erratic behavior, redirects Sir Jimmy’s focus. Having scouted Kelson at the Bone Temple, Ink suggests that the doctor—with his orange-dyed skin and control over the Alpha—is actually Satan himself. Intrigued, Sir Jimmy leads his gang to the temple to confront the "Prince of Darkness."
The Hallucination on the Train
As the gang nears the temple, tensions boil over. Spike tries to desert the camp under the cover of night but is intercepted by Jimmy Fox, who seeks revenge for the death of Jimmy Shite. A struggle ensues, ending only when Ink intervenes and kills Fox to protect Spike. They return to the group, lying that Fox fled in terror of Satan. Meanwhile, at the Bone Temple, a panicked Dr. Kelson prepares for the gang's arrival by injecting Samson with a potent cocktail of anti-psychotics, theorizing that the infected's aggression is a form of permanent psychosis. The drugs trigger a sensory overload in Samson, drawing him back to the abandoned train where he was first infected. Lost in a childhood memory of a train ride, Samson sees a phantom ticket guard. When he speaks aloud, saying, "I don't have a ticket," the other infected nearby perceive him as uninfected and turn on him in a savage frenzy.
The Number of the Beast
That night, Sir Jimmy forces Kelson into a lethal charade. To maintain his grip on the Fingers, Jimmy demands Kelson impersonate Satan in a grand, pyrotechnic-laden spectacle. Bathed in hallucinogenic smoke and the roaring chords of Iron Maiden’s "The Number of the Beast," Kelson takes the stage. However, the plan backfires when Kelson recognizes Spike in the crowd. Breaking character, the doctor tries to incite the gang to turn on Sir Jimmy and crucify him to save the boy. Realizing the ruse is failing, Sir Jimmy lunges forward and fatally stabs Kelson. The act sparks a final, bloody uprising; Spike stabs Sir Jimmy in retaliation, while Ink—now reclaiming her true name, Kelly—slaughters the remaining loyalist Fingers.
The Inverted Cross and a New Journey
As the dust settles, Kelly performs a final, symbolic act of vengeance by impaling the dying Sir Jimmy on an inverted cross. Samson, battered from the train attack, arrives at the temple just as Kelson breathes his last. In a moment of tragic clarity, Sir Jimmy hallucinates that the Alpha is the true Satan coming for his soul. Samson ignores the dying cult leader, instead greeting Kelson by name and thanking him for his kindness before carrying the doctor’s body away into the shadows. Sir Jimmy is left nailed to the cross, abandoned to the approaching infected. Some time later, Spike and Kelly are seen navigating the wilderness, narrowly avoiding a pack of the undead. They are unaware that they are being watched from a distance by two new survivors, Jim and his daughter Sam, who prepare to descend and offer their help to the weary pair.
Top Cast
- Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
- Jack O'Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal
- Alfie Williams as Spike
- Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink / Kelly
- Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson (The Alpha)
- Emma Laird as Jimmima
- Cillian Murphy as Jim
- Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox
- Robert Rhodes as Jimmy Jimmy
Movie Collection
- 28 Days Later (2002)
- 28 Weeks Later (2007)
- 28 Years Later (2025)
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
- 28 Years Later Part III (2027)
