Helmed by director Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, 28 Days Later was released in way back 2002 and proved to be something of a game-changer for zombie movies. After all, who knew the undead could run?
Well, that had happened on screen before in fairness, but it still felt like a fresh idea at the time and the British horror movie proved to be a hit (boasting an impressive cast led by Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson).
28 Weeks Later was a solid standalone sequel but it's Boyle's planned 28 Years Later which will see Murphy potentially reprise his role as Jim.
Talking at a taping of SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Conversations programme for Oppenheimer (via FearHQ.com), Murphy admitted to not initially realising he was starring in a zombie movie.
"I wasn’t too aware we were making a zombie movie, to be honest with you," he revealed, confirming he hadn't watched any of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead movies at the time. "It was right around the time SARS happened and there was all this 'air rage' stuff going on. So I never felt it was a zombie film. And I’m glad I didn’t watch the Romero movies because I didn’t realize how hallowed those movies were."
"Before '28 Days Later,' there weren’t that many zombie movies - it was kind of a dead genre," Muphy added. "So Danny and Alex rebooted it."
Asked if he was nervous to headline a movie with Gleeson, Murphy recalled previously sharing the screen with him in Sweety Barrett, an Irish movie which saw the Batman Begins star make his film debut as "Pat the Barman."
"I remember on that film I had to pour him a pint of Guinness. My hand was shaking," the actor confessed. "But he was so kind. I was just a kid, but he would spend the time and talk to you. I think that show the measure of the man. I’ve worked with him five or six times now and he’s one of my all-time heroes and the kindest, sweetest man - and an absolute legend."
Murphy later talked about shooting two different endings for 28 Days Later. The one we saw, in which Jim survives, and another where he dies. "I think when I was younger and bit more nihilist...I liked the image of two women surviving at the end and [frick] the man," he acknowledged. "But I think they wanted the version with the hope."
As for whether he'll play Jim again in 28 Years Later, Murphy simply responded with, "I’m available."
You can watch the full conversation with Murphy in the player below.