Danny Boyle says filming '28 Years Later' was a nightmare due to on-set rule

ANI June 22, 2025 348 views

Danny Boyle opened up about the unexpected challenges of filming 28 Years Later. A child actor rule forced the crew to use prosthetics instead of realistic zombie nudity. The director admitted this complication was a nightmare they hadn’t anticipated. The film is the latest in the popular zombie franchise, with another sequel already in the works.

"We never knew that going in, it was a nightmare." – Danny Boyle
Washington, June 22: '28 Years Later' director Danny Boyle has opened up about an unexpected hurdle while making the new film in the popular zombie franchise. Speaking at the London premiere earlier this week, Boyle said it was a "nightmare" when he learned about a rule that affected how scenes were shot.

Key Points

1

Boyle faced issues with zombie realism due to child actor laws

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Prosthetics replaced nudity for infected characters

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Film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and young actor Alfie Williams

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Sequel follows 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later

The movie takes place nearly three decades after the Rage virus destroyed society. Boyle, while speaking to People, said that, in reality, infected people who had been living that long with the virus would likely have no clothes left.

"I mean, if you're recently infected, you'd have some clothes, but if you've been infected for a long time, the clothes would just disintegrate with the way that you behave," Boyle told PEOPLE.

However, there was an issue. A 14-year-old actor, Alfie Williams, plays a key role in the film as the son of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's character. Because of laws protecting child actors, the set could not include fully naked people, even if they were only supposed to appear infected.

"We never knew that going in, it was a nightmare," Boyle said.

"Interestingly, because there was a 12-year-old boy on set, you're not allowed for anybody to be naked, not really naked, so they look naked, but it's all prosthetics," Boyle added.

28 Years Later is the third movie in the series, following 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. The film hit theatres on June 20. A fourth film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Boyle, is expected to be released in January 2026. (ANI )

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
Honestly, this seems like such a minor issue compared to actual filmmaking challenges! Indian filmmakers deal with way stricter censorship rules daily. Boyle should try making a zombie movie under our CBFC guidelines 😂 Still excited for the film though!
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Priya M.
The child protection laws make complete sense. We've seen too many Hollywood scandals - better to be safe than sorry. But I'm curious how they'll show decayed zombies without showing skin... CGI maybe? The first two films were brilliant, hope this lives up!
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Arjun S.
As a film student in Mumbai, this is fascinating! Creative constraints often lead to better solutions. Remember how Indian horror films imply ghosts rather than show them? Sometimes limitations breed innovation. Boyle is talented enough to work around this.
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Sneha R.
The 28 Days Later soundtrack was iconic! Hope they maintain that quality. About the clothes issue - in Indian culture, even zombies would probably be wearing something, no? 😅 Our mythological ghosts always have some attire! Jokes aside, looking forward to this.
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Vikram J.
Interesting dilemma. In Bollywood, we'd probably just show tattered clothes and imply the rest. Western films tend to be more graphic. Maybe this forced subtlety will make the zombies scarier psychologically rather than just visually gross.

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Danny Boyle 28 Years Later zombie movie Aaron Taylor-Johnson Alfie Williams