Cillian Murphy Left Out Of 28 Years Later & Tron Franchise Returns This Year

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Cillian Murphy has been strategic about the franchises he’s joined throughout his career. He became known as a compelling villain with his role as Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and more recently, he stepped into a leading role in A Quiet Place Part II, taking over for John Krasinski.

While Cillian Murphy hasn’t typically played characters in long-running franchises, he’s become a frequent collaborator with director Christopher Nolan, appearing in blockbuster films like Inception, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer. He’s deliberately avoided becoming involved with major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, or Jurassic Park.

Despite staying mostly away from them, Eddie Murphy has still made a few appearances connected to his popular movie series. Interestingly, two of those series had new movies released in 2025, but he wasn’t involved in either one.

Cillian Murphy Didn’t Return For 28 Years Later Or Tron: Ares

It’s a curious coincidence that Murphy’s other two franchise films also got new releases this year. He revisited his 2002 zombie hit with 28 Years Later, a sequel to 28 Days Later. And Tron: Ares continues the story from 2010’s Tron: Legacy.

I think most people recognize this actor from his starring role as Jim in 28 Days Later. His character was so compelling, and his fate in that movie left everyone wanting more – it was a real shame he didn’t reappear in 28 Weeks Later. There was even a funny moment when the trailer for 28 Years Later came out, and a lot of us were convinced he’d somehow come back as a zombie!

Okay, so I was really expecting to see him in “28 Years Later,” especially since he was a producer on the film. But it didn’t happen. The movie smartly moved on, introducing a whole new set of characters trying to survive the zombie outbreak, this time set in the UK. Everyone, myself included, kept waiting for that classic cameo or at least a nod to his iconic character, but it just didn’t materialize. Honestly, they didn’t even mention him, which was a bit of a shock.

To make matters worse, after being excluded from the sequel, the actor also wasn’t asked to reprise his role in Tron: Ares. He did make a brief, uncredited cameo in Tron: Legacy as Edward Dillinger Jr., and his character was set up to potentially become the main villain in future installments.

Instead of continuing the story with Murphy’s character, the movie Tron: Ares featured a replacement. The sequel also introduced two new members of the Dillinger family instead of bringing back Edward Jr. These new characters are Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters, who is now the CEO of Dillinger Systems, and Julian’s mother, Elisabeth Dillinger, played by Gillian Anderson, who is also Edward Jr.’s sister.

The movie’s plot might have worked better if it had included the character Murphy. He could have linked the story to the previous film, Legacy, and taken on the part currently played by Julian. This would have potentially allowed them to reduce or reshape Elisabeth’s character, perhaps by focusing on a conflict between siblings.

Why Cillian Murphy Didn’t Return For 28 Years Later Or Tron: Ares

The decision to leave Jim Murphy out of 28 Years Later was intentional. The filmmakers – Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and Sony – created the movie hoping it would launch a new trilogy, meaning there was a good chance Jim would reappear in one of the following two films.

It’s now confirmed that actor Murphy will briefly appear as Jim at the end of the upcoming film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This small appearance likely sets the stage for a more significant role in a potential third 28 Years Later movie, if it’s officially approved.

This clarifies why Jim Murphy wasn’t in 28 Years Later. The filmmakers don’t intend for his character to be involved in the current story, but they are planning to bring him back eventually. Everyone involved – including Murphy himself – wants to see his character return, and his early involvement as a producer showed he was on the same page as director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland regarding the timing of his return.

While Murphy is interested in returning to the zombie movies, his involvement in Tron: Ares is uncertain. The director explained that some actors choose not to reprise their roles, which is why he and other familiar faces aren’t in the new film.

Although the director didn’t mention Murphy by name, he might be one of the actors who chose not to return for the sequel. A long time – over ten years – had passed since Murphy starred in Legacy when work began on Ares, and the new Tron film was made with a completely new group of writers and filmmakers.

Although it’s been a longer wait between 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple compared to the gap between Tron: Legacy and Tron: Ares (24 years versus 15 years), the 28 Days Later role was far more significant for Murphy’s career. It was an early breakout performance for him and established a strong working relationship with director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland.

Now that Cillian Murphy is no longer associated with the Tron films, it’s unlikely he’ll return to that series, especially since Tron 4 seems unlikely to be made. Instead, future films in the 28 Years Later franchise offer a better opportunity for Cillian Murphy to shine and become a more significant part of his career.

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2025-10-21 00:39