28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Director Clarifies Samson’s Cure Status

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Nia DaCosta, director of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ has explained what happens to Samson at the end of the movie, shedding light on a scene fans have been discussing. The film, the second in the ’28 Days Later’ series, picks up the story many years after the first outbreak, building on the world and exploring new aspects of the virus and those infected.

Following the events of the 2025 film 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple picks up the story with a group of survivors discovering a strange sanctuary called the Bone Temple. The movie centers on Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and his efforts to not only control the infected, but also to help them regain their humanity.

Kelson tests drugs used to calm and treat mental illness on Samson, the unusually large and infected individual first seen in 28 Years Later. By the end of the treatment, Samson seems fully recovered. He’s able to think clearly, communicate, and remember his past, all while still being incredibly strong and large, and possibly protected from getting infected again.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Francis Lawrence discussed the ending of The Bone Temple and the future of the 28 Years Later series. She explained the true extent of Samson’s recovery, while remaining tight-lipped about what’s next. With a third film already planned, Lawrence’s insights shed light on Samson’s fate and what it could mean for the franchise. You can find her full statement below.

It’s exciting that they’re making a third movie! I was just discussing it with Alex, and I’m trying to be careful about what I say, since my ideas about how I handled things in this film are pretty strong and could change. But I can say that the character isn’t completely healed, and whatever progress he has made is lasting. He’s definitely different from how he was at the beginning, but whether he’s fully ‘one of us’ remains to be seen. He’s simply not the same person anymore.

The most surprising part of The Bone Temple is the discovery that a cure for the Rage Virus might exist, though Kelson doesn’t live to see it realized. Throughout the movie, Kelson uses his expertise to care for Samson, studying him closely and developing a connection with him.

Throughout the movie, Kelson develops a theory that the Rage Virus didn’t just turn Samson into a monster, but left him deeply mentally disturbed. This idea is supported by earlier scenes where Samson attacks someone he thinks is a decaying zombie, not a scared person. Kelson starts to see Samson not just as a danger, but as possible evidence that some part of his humanity remains, even with the virus taking hold.

As a huge fan of the 28 Days Later films, I found DaCosta’s recent comments really intriguing. It sounds like the next movie will explore some serious conflict around the cure and how it impacts Samson’s life now, which is a fantastic direction for the story. It’s a big step forward for the whole 28 Days Later universe. The original, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, was groundbreaking – it basically reinvented zombie movies by introducing those terrifyingly fast, furious infected. What made them so scary wasn’t magic or anything supernatural, but pure, raw rage and the feeling of being completely alone.

Image by InstarImages.com

Samson’s ongoing, though not fully resolved, recovery might change the direction of the third movie, potentially introducing characters who are infected but aren’t fully monsters – existing somewhere in between human and creature.

If a treatment can control the Rage Virus without completely eliminating it, future stories could focus on how people who are affected adjust to life with their increased size and strength, even after appearing to recover.

With “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the world of 28 Days Later gains a new and troubling element. This development promises to make the next story explore much deeper issues—questions of morality, science, and society—than just the struggle to stay alive.

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2026-01-21 01:30