Today marks three months on the dot since we got 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s first trailer; which to some feels like forever ago. As a day one fan of the Danny Boyle/Alex Garland founded franchise, the chatter online impatiently asking when we’d see more is something I could identify with. The wait for fresh details is officially over now, as director Nia DaCosta’s sequel to this summer’s 28 Years Later dropped not one – but two new trailers to dissect.

As you’ll see below, we now have plenty of thoughts to sift through between now and January 16th, 2026 (January 14th in the UK). A good number of those angles connect to the Alpha Infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and the role he’ll play in the adventure ahead. The possibilities could lead to a massive pivot for these 28 Days Later follow-ups, so let’s start digging into the latest pieces to the puzzle known as Infection.

The Bone Temple Reinforces Two Very Different Views On The Rage Outbreak

Leave it to Sony Pictures to give us 28 Days Later fans a double-barreled of haunting images. Starting with the Domestic Trailer for U.S. audiences, there’s one big nail we need to drive into the ground. So before we go too far, check out The Bone Temple’s new footage for yourself:

Just as I suspected at the end of 28 Years Later, our two parties playing for power are Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). With those figures set to play a huge role in the future of this saga, their opposing views of the Rage Outbreak will define how they’ve carried themselves in this post apocalyptic world. 

Sir Jimmy clearly sees the event as a biblical cleansing, reinforced by his traumatic backstory shown in the previous film’s cold open. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson would appear to interpret this major event as a call for understanding. In his eyes, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s world isn’t one that calls for savage abandonment of the old ways, but a call to try and preserve that humanity. That clash could literally mean the world, as two major characters play into each of those schools of thought differently.

Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes sit together in the sun in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Jimmy And Dr. Kelson Are Going To Be Fighting For Two Very Important Souls

The viewpoints discussed above also tie into two crucial parties in the 28 Years Later trilogy so far: Spike (Alfie Williams) and Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Those varying truths appear to spawn two different plans when it comes to the young boy and the Alpha Infected.

For Sir Jimmy, Spike is to be initiated as a member of the Jimmy Gang, while Samson may be a potential weapon for his holy terror campaign. Sir Crystal’s strategy is perfectly summed up by one of the taglines for The Bone Temple: “Fear is the new Faith.” Apparently converts are not enough for Jimmy; but for now let’s put a pin in his intentions for Samson.

Flipping the coin over, Dr. Kelson’s outlook would fit in the camp of the other tagline shown with this footage: “Change is coming.” Through compassion and adaptation to the “new normal,” this man of science has radical ideas on how the Infected act in the wild. If true, Ralph Fiennes’ character could be signaling a huge pivot point in how humanity views the Infected, with one scene seeming to show early evidence of this fact in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s latest look.

A young Samson looks up while sitting on the train in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Samson’s Infection Flashback Could Be A Game Changer

Clearly the young boy on the train in the trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is none other than young Samson himself. This kind of explains why he sees the derelict train as a sort of home base, and why his now deceased mate chose that location to birth sweet baby Isla in 28 Years Later.

What’s more, Dr. Kelson poses this question in The Bone Temple footage that unlocks a huge new twist to this world:

When the Infected attack, what do they see?

That question seems to presume that the Infected aren’t totally mindless monsters under the Rage Virus’ influence; which shakes this entire franchise to its core. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple could be suggesting that there’s still memories, thoughts, and yes – a soul – to the Infected.

Riffing on a bit of Dawn of the Dead lore, Samson’s train bound home would indicate that he sees that place as the last location he felt safe. What he sees in the world at large could be people trying to kill him, while among his fellow Infected, he sees a family. And we know what people in this universe do to protect their families, don’t we?

Dr. Kelson Might Be Taking His Last Bow In 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Moving onto the International Trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, something intrigued me before even pressing play. All you need to do is take a look at the thumbnail for that reel, included below, and you’ll see what I’m talking about: 

Dr. Kelson and Sir Jimmy Crystal are awfully close for opposing parties, and looking at that moment in context, it seems to take place at a crucial moment. With The Bone Temple promising a “treatment” for Infection, it appears the good doctor is using the hallucinogenic he dosed Alfie with in the previous film on Samson – albeit a larger dose. 

Dressed in wild makeup and clothes, and wielding fire, Dr. Kelson might be trying to break through Samson’s psyche, in order to potentially tame him. Sir Jimmy probably sees that as robbing his apocalyptic vision of its ultimate boogeyman; and will probably want to cut that out right quick. 

Which means we may have to say goodbye to Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. What’s more, I have a sneaking suspicion that Sir Jimmy will turn Kelson into an Infected – leaving Spike to have to kill him. (A hypothetical, but powerful nod back to his hunting expedition with father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). That’d be the perfect place to introduce Jim (Cillian Murphy) back into the franchise, as he’ll probably serve as one last male role model added to Spike’s journey of self discovery.

Ralph Fiennes cautiously puts his had on Chi Lewis-Parry's shoulder in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

The Name Of The 28 Years Later Trilogy’s Game Is Coexistence

Tying it all together, it appears that Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and Nia DaCosta are hammering home an important message in the 28 Years Later trilogy. Summed up in the single word, the ideal way forward for both Infected and Uninfected alike is going to be together. 

That lesson isn’t going to be fully fleshed out in The Bone Temple, as it’s the trilogy’s middle entry. But should I be right, I think that new turn means that the U.K. will be able to rejoin the global community. If Infection can be treated, the Infected reintegrated into society, and the Rage Virus’s threat is practically nullified. Not to mention, the rest of the world could use this example of coexistence as inspiration to unify as one.

There’s still time to ponder this theory, as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to open on January 14th in the U.K. With the fate of the final film depending on the box office performance of Ms. DaCosta’s upcoming sequel, you’re going to want to keep an eye on THS’ 28 Years Later archives. Developments for that concluding chapter will probably come fast and furious, should this next round perform as well as 28 Years Later’s impressive box office success. 

For more on Movies, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Review – Truth, Faith, And Benoit Blanc Really Makes You Think