Jack O’Connell Thinks Sir Jimmy Survived 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

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Be warned, major spoilers follow for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple! Despite appearing to die in the film, Jack O’Connell believes Jimmy Crystal actually survives. Introduced in the 2025 revival of the franchise, Jimmy Crystal – the son of a minister – became the leader of a dangerous cult following the Rage virus outbreak in Britain, and his persona was deliberately modeled after the disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile.

The first movie introduced us to Jimmy and his crew, the Fingers, who found a guy named Spike and saved him from some infected. They brought him into the fold, and now, in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, we see Jimmy really putting Spike to the test. He’s trying to figure out what kind of person Spike is, and honestly, it involves some pretty rough stuff – like attacking other survivors. There’s this one doctor, Dr. Ian Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes, who Jimmy keeps running into, and their encounters are seriously creepy and stick with you.

The film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ends with a final attack on the temple itself. During the assault, Sir Jimmy mortally wounds Dr. Kelson, but Spike simultaneously stabs O’Connell’s character, leaving him impaled on an upside-down cross. This leaves O’Connell vulnerable to attack from Samson, who has now been cured. However, O’Connell suggested in a pre-release interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley that Sir Jimmy might not actually be dead.

Rory McCann, known for his role in Sinners, confirmed that there are deaths in the new movie, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but he doesn’t know what happens to his character, Sir Jimmy. He pointed out that the sequel definitely features some major character deaths, joking about how you can’t survive having your spine ripped out. However, he personally didn’t film a scene where Sir Jimmy’s spine was ripped out, leading him to believe his character might still be alive.

Honestly, after what happened – being stabbed, impaled, and then that final attack by Samson – I really don’t think Sir Jimmy will be returning for 28 Years Later. This franchise has always felt pretty realistic when it comes to who lives and dies, and the only time anyone’s really cheated death was with Alice in 28 Weeks Later. She survived that incredibly violent opening scene and it turned out she had a natural immunity to the Rage virus, which was a huge surprise. But with everything that happened to Jimmy, it just feels different this time.

As O’Connell suggests, the ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple doesn’t definitively show the full impact of Samson’s attack on Sir Jimmy, leaving a small possibility that Sir Jimmy survived. Samson, while mostly cured of the Rage virus, became a kind of hybrid – still prone to violent outbursts, but also aware of what he was doing. This raises the chance that he might have held back from fully killing Sir Jimmy, unlike with his other victims, even after inflicting a severe spinal injury.

I’m still reeling from the end of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and I can’t help but wonder if Sir Jimmy is actually still alive… but changed. Considering who he was, it’s possible his encounter with Samson turned him into one of the infected, maybe even an Alpha like Samson himself! That would be terrifying for Spike in the next movie. Unfortunately, they only just confirmed a third film is happening in December, so we’ll probably be waiting a while to find out for sure what happened to him.

Be sure to dive into some of our other 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple coverage with:

  • Nia DaCosta on changing Samson’s design for the new film
  • DaCosta on Cillian Murphy’s return as Jim and why he’s not necessarily a hero
  • DaCosta on why Aaron Taylor-Johnson didn’t return for the new 28 Years Later
  • Our guide to why 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is getting the franchise’s best reviews yet

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2026-01-17 16:13