Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer battle to survive in ’28 Years Later’

(from left) Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Alfie Williams in “28 Years Later.” Photo: Columbia Pictures

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer are teaming up as a husband and wife of a family struggling to survive amid virus aftermath in “28 Years Later,” the latest installment of the iconic horror franchise.

Set decades after the original outbreak in “28 Days Later” (2002), the new film explores a world still tormented by the virus. At the center of the story is a family living on a remote island, fighting to survive both the infected and each other.

Taylor-Johnson, who rose to fame for his Marvel Cinematic Universe character Pietro Maximoff in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” now plays Jamie, a devoted husband and father doing everything he can to protect his wife Isla (Comer), who is battling a mysterious illness, and their son Spike (Alfie Williams).

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“Everyone on the island has adapted to a tribal way of living, to protect themselves from the horrors awaiting them on the mainland,” said Taylor-Johnson. “They’ve had to become ingrained in a survivalist way of living.”

Comer, on the other hand, who’s known for her work in the spy thriller series “Killing Eve,” explained how her new role becomes a “real thread of humanity and emotion.”

“Isla’s illness has put a lot of strain on her marriage. Still, Aaron, Danny, and I were always clear that it was a relationship that came from love, and that Jamie wants the best for Isla,” she said.

“28 Years Later” marked the long-awaited return of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, who said that they were determined to make the film more than just a sequel.

“Alex came up with this idea centered around a family. It is inventive writing, in a way that was exciting for everyone involved and helped make us feel like we were making an original film, and not a sequel,” explained Boyle.

The original film “28 Days Later” follows Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes from a coma to find a deserted London and a country in collapse. 

A follow-up, “28 Weeks Later” (2007), directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, without Boyle and Garland’s creative control, expanded the story with a military-led attempt to repopulate London—only to face another outbreak caused by an asymptomatic carrier.

Now, “28 Years Later” shifts the focus from societal collapse to personal resilience by centering the story on a small family. Sony Pictures has confirmed it is the first entry in a new trilogy,.

The upcoming films “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” set for a 2026 release, and an untitled fifth film are set to explore how different communities around the world have adapted or failed in the wake of the virus.

“28 Years Later” premieres in Philippine cinemas on June 18. /edv