Cillian Murphy to not appear in horror film '28 Years Later'; confirms producer Andrew Macdonald

Washington [USA], January 10 (ANI): After fans speculated the return of Cillian Murphy in the sequel of the film '28 Days Later' following the release of its teaser, the film producer Andrew Macdonald clarified that the Oscar-winning actor will not be appearing in the movie. He will be serving as the executive producer of the film.
The makers recently released the teaser of '28 Years Later' which is a sequel to '28 Days Later' which starred Cillian Murphy in the lead role.
As per the report of Deadline, although the 'Peaky Blinder' actor is involved in the upcoming threequel as an executive producer, '28 Years Later' producer Andrew Macdonald recently explained that Murphy "wanted to be involved" but won't appear in the first film.
"[On] this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I'm hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line. He's involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy." said producer Andrew while talking to Empire as quoted by Deadline.
Following the teaser, the art dealer of the Danny Boyle-directed zombie franchise revealed that he was the performer in the shot which was speculated to be Cillian Murphy in makeup. The film is slated to release in the theatres on June 20, 2025.
As per the Deadline, Boyle admitted he was warned the casting choice might inspire a case of mistaken identity.
"I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, 'People will think that's Cillian. I said, 'Don't be silly.' I ignored her. So I've eaten a bit of humble pie since." said Boyle.
After nearly three decades, the highly anticipated sequel to '28 Days Later', '28 Years Later' unveiled its first haunting trailer, igniting excitement among fans of the original post-apocalyptic zombie thriller.
Written by Alex Garland, the film promises a return to the devastating world of the Rage Virus.
The trailer sets a chilling tone, accompanied by a recording of Rudyard Kipling's war poem "Boots", as it transports viewers to a desolate, post-apocalyptic England.
The trailer features actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson traversing the now green but ominous fields of the country, bow and arrow in hand, hinting at a society trying to rebuild amid the wreckage. (ANI)