What happened in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later? Full recap ahead of sequel 28 Years Later

More than two decades after 28 Days Later first hit screens and redefined the zombie genre, the long-awaited sequel 28 Years Later is finally on its way — and fans are counting down the days.

The new instalment promises to breathe fresh life into a franchise that’s become a modern cult classic.

Produced and directed by Danny Boyle, the post-apocalyptic horror film is the third instalment in the 28 Days Later film series. It is based on a screenplay by Alex Garland.

Here's the full lowdown — including a quick refresher on the first two films before the new sequel hits the big screen:

When is 28 Years Later coming out?

The latest chapter in the franchise, 28 Years Later, arrives in UK cinemas on 19 June.

If you’re looking to catch up beforehand, 28 Days Later is currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer, while 28 Weeks Later can be found on Disney+ in the UK.

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What happened in 28 Days Later?

Released in 2002, 28 Days Later stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Christopher Eccleston, and Noah Huntley. The story unfolds in a near-future UK, where civilisation has collapsed following the accidental release of a highly infectious virus known as the Rage virus.

The outbreak begins when animal rights activists break into a lab to free chimpanzees being used in scientific experiments. Unknowingly, they unleash the virus, which spreads with terrifying speed.

Twenty-eight days later, a bicycle courier named Jim (Murphy) wakes from a coma in an abandoned hospital, only to discover that London has become a ghost town. As he wanders through the deserted streets, he encounters his first signs of the infected — rabid, violent humans driven by uncontrollable rage. He’s quickly rescued by two survivors, Selena (Harris) and Mark (Huntley), who fill him in on the horrors that have unfolded while he was unconscious.

Together, they travel to Deptford, where Jim hopes to find his family — only to discover they’ve taken their own lives to avoid infection. Later, when they’re attacked during a night camp, Selena is forced to kill Mark after he becomes infected.

Jim and Selena then cross paths with Frank (Gleeson) and his teenage daughter Hannah (Burns), who are barricaded inside their high-rise flat. Picking up a recorded radio broadcast promising safety and a possible cure, the group set off for Manchester. But the promised sanctuary turns out to be a trap: Frank is tragically infected and killed by soldiers who were hiding out nearby.

At the soldiers' compound, things take a darker turn. Jim, Selena, and Hannah soon realise that the group’s leader, Major Henry West (Eccleston), has no intention of helping them — instead, he plans to use Selena and Hannah as a way to “repopulate” the future. Jim, with the help of a sympathetic soldier, turns the tables by releasing an infected captive, triggering chaos inside the base.

Despite being wounded, Jim manages to escape with Selena and Hannah. The film closes another 28 days later in rural Cumbria, where the trio are alive, the infected are starving, and a passing jet hints that help — and hope — may finally be on the horizon.

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What happened in 28 Weeks Later?

The second film in the 28 Days Later franchise introduces a fresh set of characters and a new chapter of chaos. Released in 2007, 28 Weeks Later picks up — as the title suggests — six months after the initial outbreak of the Rage virus devastated Britain.

The story opens with Don (Robert Carlyle) and Alice (Catherine McCormack), a married couple holed up in a rural cottage, seemingly safe from the horrors outside. But when they try to help a young boy being chased by the infected, the safehouse is overrun. Alice refuses to leave the child behind — while Don makes a split-second decision to save himself, fleeing by boat and assuming his wife has perished.

Fast forward to 28 weeks post-outbreak: NATO has taken control of the UK, the infected have died off from starvation, and a secure zone has been established in London’s Canary Wharf, known as District One. Overseen by the US military and Brigadier General Stone (Idris Elba), the settlement marks the beginning of an attempt to repopulate and rebuild.

Don and Alice’s children, Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton), return from abroad to join their father in the new community. But when the siblings sneak off to visit their old home, they discover something shocking — Alice is alive, somehow untouched by the virus. The military quickly brings all three back to the compound, where doctors determine that Alice is a rare case: she carries the virus but doesn’t show symptoms, making her a potential key to a cure.

Reunited with his wife, Don begs for forgiveness — but when they kiss, he becomes infected and turns into a killer. Alice is murdered, and the virus rapidly spreads through the supposedly safe zone.

Medical officer Scarlet (Rose Byrne) defies orders and rescues Tammy and Andy, believing the children may have inherited their mother’s immunity. As the outbreak spirals, General Stone declares a full-scale purge, instructing troops to eliminate both infected and uninfected civilians. One sniper, Doyle (Jeremy Renner), refuses to follow the brutal command, instead helping Scarlet and the children escape.

The group — now reduced to just Scarlet, Tammy, Andy, Doyle, and a survivor named Sam (Raymond Waring) — attempt to flee through Regent’s Park. Helicopter pilot Flynn (Harold Perrineau) offers to extract Doyle, but Doyle refuses to leave the others behind.

As the city descends into chaos, Doyle sacrifices himself to get the others to safety. Scarlet, Tammy, and Andy make their way into the London Underground, but are ambushed by Don, now fully infected. He kills Scarlet and bites Andy before Tammy kills her own father.

Tammy and Andy eventually reach Wembley Stadium, where Flynn flies them out of the country. In the film’s chilling final moments — set 28 days later — the Rage virus is shown to have reached Paris, hinting that the outbreak is far from over… and that Andy, like his mother, may have unknowingly carried it with him.

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