{"id":1235525,"date":"2026-02-26T13:14:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=608741"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:14:03","slug":"28-years-laters-ending-sets-up-a-very-controversial-sequel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/28-years-laters-ending-sets-up-a-very-controversial-sequel\/","title":{"rendered":"28 Years Later\u2019s ending sets up a very controversial sequel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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28 Years Later <\/em>is a superb, multifaceted horror movie<\/a> with a lot of different things on its mind, and over its two hours it moves through quite a few tonal shifts: folk horror, coming-of-age family drama, gory action movie, and surreal meditation on societal breakdown<\/a>. Even in this context, though, the ending is jarring, and might leave viewers wondering: What was that<\/em> all about?<\/p>\n

On one level, it\u2019s a setup for the film\u2019s sequel<\/a>. Screenwriter Alex Garland wrote a trio of scripts for the return of the zombie franchise, and the second of these, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple<\/em>, has already been shot and will be released in January 2026. 28 Years Later<\/em>\u2019s final scene clearly sets up characters who will play a big part in the next movie.<\/p>\n

But viewers outside the U.K. may not realize that the scene has an additional, shocking layer to it, because it makes explicit reference to perhaps the single most reviled figure in British contemporary culture: the media personality and prolific sexual abuser Jimmy Savile.<\/p>\n

To say the least, it\u2019s a bold choice, and it leaves the filmmakers with a very fine line to tread in The Bone Temple<\/em>. Let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n

[Ed. note: <\/strong>The rest of this article contains full spoilers<\/strong> for the ending of 28 Years Later<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

What happens at the end of 28 Years Later?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

28 Years Later<\/em>\u2019s final act is dominated by an elegiac passage, in which the young hero Spike (Alfie Williams) says goodbye to his mother Isla (Jodie Comer), who has accepted a peaceful death at the hands of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) rather than suffer through her cancer. Spike then chooses to go walkabout on the infected-infested mainland rather than return to his island community, after dropping the baby he and Isla found back at the island.<\/p>\n

Twenty-eight days later, Spike is attacked by a group of infected. Escaping them, he is rescued by a colorful group of crazed warriors who attack the infected in flamboyant style. Their leader is Jimmy (Jack O\u2019Connell), who was the Scottish boy seen in the movie\u2019s prologue set at the start of the outbreak. He wears the crucifix his priest father gave him upside down.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

After the moving and meditative end of the film proper, this final scene is a total change of mood. O\u2019Connell\u2019s lines are played for broad laughs, the soundtrack mixes the Teletubbies<\/em> theme with loud punk music, and the style employed by director Danny Boyle is frenetic and irreverent.<\/p>\n

But the imagery is also extremely sinister, because the gang\u2019s gaudy tracksuits, gold jewelery, and long blond wigs are clearly modeled on Jimmy Savile. As if there were any doubt, the credits seal it \u2014 O\u2019Connell\u2019s character is referred to as Sir Jimmy Crystal. Anyone outside the U.K. is likely wondering\u2026<\/p>\n

Who is Jimmy Savile?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you grew up in Britain in the late 20th century, as I did, Sir James Savile was an inescapable, kind of clownish, but also beloved pop cultural figure. He came to prominence as a radio DJ in the 1960s and was a TV fixture through the \u201970s, \u201980s, and \u201990s as a presenter of the Top of the Pops<\/em> chart show and Jim\u2019ll Fix It<\/em>, a sentimental early-evening variety show in which he made the wishes of kids come true. <\/p>\n

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