28 Years Later will be set in Newcastle, and lead star Jodie Comer has revealed she’s studying Cheryl‘s accent in preparation for her role.
Comer will star alongside Cillian Murphy, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O’Connell in the third instalment of Danny Boyle‘s zombie apocalypse trilogy, which reportedly began filming in Newcastle last month.
Now, in a new profile piece for ELLE, Comer has revealed that she’s been watching clips of Cheryl on The X-Factor in order the grasp the Geordie accent.
“I’m excited to get the first day done,’ she said, ahead or shooting her scenes. “Danny just seems like such a confident, intuitive and intelligent director. The original was so loved, so I’m trying not to think of that too hard. I’m not putting too much expectation on myself.”
News of the new film was first announced earlier this year, with confirmation that director Boyle and writer Alex Garland, who helmed the 2002 original 28 Days Later, were both returning to the franchise. It was also confirmed that Murphy would be returning to the ole that kickstarted his career.
Back in April, 28 Years Later has was given the official release date of June 20, 2025.
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2002’s 28 Days Later saw Murphy play the bicycle courier Jim, who awakens from a coma to discover that the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society.
28 Years Later is slated to be the first entry in a new trilogy, with Garland set to write and produce all three. Boyle is only expected to return for the first instalment, with Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta reportedly in talks for the second. Each film is being made with a budget in the region of $75million (£59million).
Speaking to NME in 2022 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 28 Days Later, Murphy and Boyle said that they had often spoken about a follow-up to their hit zombie flick, and previously had plans for a sequel called 28 Months Later, which never came to fruition.
The original film secured a sequel in 2007, 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland only executive-produced this project.
Elsewhere for Comer, she can next be seen alongside Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in Jeff Nichols’ upcoming crime drama The Bikeriders.