However, the storyboard ending of 28 Days Later is perhaps the most haunting in terms of narrative and emotional impact, as it etches a conclusion too cruel for its primary protagonist. RELATED: Why The Walking Dead & 28 Days Later Have Such Similar Openings This particular is an especially grim one, as opposed to the theatrical version, which ends on a hopeful note and the promise of a new beginning. Distraught and heartbroken, the duo walks away from Jim’s body towards an unknown future.
The filmed alternative ending is bleaker in nature, with Jim dying from the gunshot wound he receives towards the end, as Hannah and Selena are unable to revive him despite numerous attempts. Battling infected humans and the cruel machinations of human nature, Jim, along with Selena (Naomie Harris) and Hannah (Megan Burns), fight their way through and make it to the end in the film’s theatrical cut.Īpart from the original ending, only one other alternative ending was filmed, while the third was only storyboarded due to its radically divergent nature. 28 Days Later follows the aftermath of a viral outbreak of the Rage virus in Great Britain, whilst zeroing in on Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes to this harrowing reality from a coma. The DVD extras of Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic horror, 28 Days Later, include three alternate endings, wherein the original is far more haunting than the official one.
