Summary
Cillian Murphy’s involvement in “28 Years Later” hints at a tragic fate for his character, Jim.
The film may explore a new family dynamic with Jim as a father figure, setting up emotional growth for new characters.
Murphy’s character’s potential death in the film aligns with established themes of fatherhood and would bring his story full circle.
The news that Cillian Murphy is joining the upcoming 28 Days Later project, 28 Years Later, is a bad omen for his character from the iconic first film in the franchise. While it has not been confirmed that Murphy will appear in front of the camera, his confirmation as an executive producer indicates that he will have a high level of involvement in the project. This investment, in turn, raises the real possibility that he will reprise his role as Jim – potentially setting the character up for a tragic fate.
Little is known about the prospective 28 Years Later movie, other than the fact that it will constitute a reunion for three of the original film’s most important players – director Danny Boyle, writer Alex Garland, and Murphy himself. Each brought something unique and powerful to the original 28 Days Later film, helping it to become one of the most widely celebrated modern horror movies. Despite multiple rewrites, 28 Days Later’s ending saw Jim, Selena, and Hannah all survive, setting up the potential for all three to return. Confirmation of Murphy’s involvement, however, could reverse Jim’s happy ending.
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Cillian Murphy’s Jim Will Likely Be A Father In 28 Years Later (& Take Frank’s Role)
Although 28 Years Later is still a prospective title for the movie, Cillian Murphy’s involvement, the story’s supposed place in the timeline, and 28 Days Later’s ending all point towards Jim having a more settled family life as the story begins. If, as seems likely, the story continues Jim’s story, it could also mean that Naomie Harris’ Selena and Megan Burns’ Hannah feature as well. It’s also possible that Selena and Jim have continued their relationship – perhaps becoming parents in whatever version of the world exists.
The movie could see him become not just a biological father with Selena, but also grow as an emotional buttress for an adult Hannah.
If the movie takes this plausible approach, Jim’s role will be much more patriarchal than in the first film. Following the movie’s dramatic climax at the military compound, Jim was already shown to have stepped into the shoes left by Frank after his death, becoming a pseudo-father figure to his daughter, Hannah. If Murphy does return as Jim and 28 Years Later picks up his story further along the timeline, the movie could see him become not just a biological father with Selena, but also grow as an emotional buttress for an adult Hannah.
Jim Becoming A Father Sets Up His Death In 28 Years Later
By having Jim assume the responsibilities of fatherhood, 28 Years Later could both develop the emotional environment for a traumatic character death and create the right circumstances for the passing of the torch to the next generation of 28 characters. The destruction and perversion of the family unit was a key theme in 28 Days Later. Jim, Selena, Hannah, and Frank found a form of peace before it was stripped away. Even Major Henry West and his soldiers created a dark reflection of a family unit – albeit one that twisted the love and support that such a structure should provide.
Considering how carefully both 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later have deconstructed family units, it seems likely that Jim’s confirmation as a father figure will be bad news for his chances. However, it will also allow a new generation of characters the chance to grow and flourish, just as Jim did following Frank’s death. It has already been confirmed that 28 Years Later will form part of a new trilogy. This makes it essential for the franchise to introduce and create new characters as compelling as those seen in 28 Days Later. Killing Jim, while tragic, will allow them room to breathe, while also providing them with emotional motivation.
Jim Dying Would Continue 28 Days Later’s Theme Of Dying Father Figures
Jim dying as a father figure would not just make sense narratively and for new 28 Years Later characters. It would also continue the first movie’s subtle theme of dying patriarchs. Not only does Jim find and then lose Frank (who he happens to call “dad” while he is sleeping), but he is also let down by the next father figure he finds in Major Henry West. West’s betrayal and eventual death forces Jim to assume responsibility, helping him become the man seen at the end of the film.
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This theme is also continued in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s sequel, 28 Weeks Later. In many ways, the film’s key relationship is between Robert Carlyle’s Don and his wife and children. Unlike Frank and Jim, Don abandons his family before succumbing to the rage virus and hunting his children down. This complicated arc further demonstrates how the 28 franchise is intrinsically bound up in the multifaceted concept of fatherhood and why Jim’s death as a father figure in 28 Years Later would help continue that theme.
Why Cillian Murphy’s Character Dying In 28 Years Later Makes Sense
Beyond the established narrative grounds for Cillian Murphy’s character’s death in 28 Years Later, there are several practical reasons why it makes sense. For one thing, Murphy is a very different actor from the one who made his breakthrough in the 2002 horror movie. Fresh off the back of Oscars success with Oppenheimer, the 47-year-old will be able to have his pick of exciting Hollywood projects. For this reason, he is unlikely to commit to an unproven sequel trilogy as a performer, meaning that killing off his character in the first installment of the new 28 series might be the best way to go.
It is clear that neither Boyle nor Garland are inherently opposed to the idea of killing off the movie’s main protagonist
A further factor is that Jim’s death would fulfill Boyle and Garland’s original vision for 28 Days Later. It is widely known that several prospective 28 Days Later endings were considered, almost all of which involved Jim dying. While these were ultimately discarded for being too bleak, it is clear that neither Boyle nor Garland are inherently opposed to the idea of killing off the movie’s main protagonist. Killing Jim off in 28 Years Later would allow Boyle and Garland to bring his story full circle and stay true to their original plans for his character.
28 Years Later
Director Danny Boyle
Cast Cillian Murphy
Franchise(s) 28 Days Later