28 Years Later: Trailer has fans guessing over Cillian Murphy's fate

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It's been quite the wait, but the highly-anticipated follow-up to horror films 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) is out next summer, with fans getting their first taste of what's in store, from the trailer for 28 Years Later.

Many were quick to spot what appeared to be a zombie incarnation of Cillian Murphy's bike courier Jim, from 28 Days Later, who survived an apocalypse against very steep odds.

He seemingly pops up in the latest trailer behind Jodie Comer's character in a field, looking much the worse for wear - which is hardly surprising if it is indeed him.

There had been speculation and hope among some fans that the Oppenheimer Oscar-winner would return to the franchise.

But Murphy's name is absent from promotional posters for the latest film, although he is credited as executive producer on the Sony Pictures website.

The latest film stars Killing Eve star Comer, The Fall Guy's Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Conclave star Ralph Fiennes - with all three seen fighting off zombies in the trailer.

Sony Pictures

28 Years Later is set nearly three decades after the first film, when a "rage virus" which disastrously infected humans escaped a biological weapons laboratory.

We meet a group of survivors in the third film, living in quarantine on a small island, having managed to avoid becoming infected.

But when one of them leaves the island on a mission to the mainland, he discovers secret horrors that have mutated not only those infected, but survivors as well.

The film's tagline is: "Time didn't heal anything."

The trailer opens with a throwback to popular children's TV show Teletubbies, which first aired in 1997, with several children gathered around an old TV as the chirpy theme tune plays innocuously - yet menacingly - in the background.

The action soon kicks off with several flashes of fight scenes as an ominous, rhymic recording of Rudyard Kipling's war poem, Boots, is heard in the background.

A church has its windows smashed in, before the camera descends on a rural island featuring wooden crosses dotted across the earth with rosary beads hanging on them.

Some graffiti is seen on what looks like a farm dwelling: "Behold he is coming with the clouds" - a verse from chapter one of the Bible's book of Revelation, with "Jimmy" scrawled next to it in white paint.

Could this be a reference to Murphy's character Jim?

Sony Pictures

Taylor-Johnson then stalks his way through green fields with a bow and arrow and there are some gory clips which are (thankfully) hard to make out.

A pile of skulls is shown in the middle of a clearing before the zombie figure, which may or may not be Murphy, makes a brief appearance.

Comer is also seen cradling a baby.

Several people on social media joked about Murphy's possible appearance, with one quipping: "Method acting that would even shame Christian Bale," while others bemoaned the fact they felt the fleeting shot was a spoiler.

Sony Pictures

The original film was written by Alex Garland and directed by Danny Boyle, who famously said it was not a zombie film, although it was credited with helping prompt a revival in the genre.

28 Weeks Later, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who also co-wrote it, starred Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne and Robert Carlisle.

Garland and Boyle have returned for the third film, with both also producing it as well.

28 Years Later will be released on 20 June.