Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer To Star

EXCLUSIVE: The new 28 Years Later trilogy from director Danny Boyle and Sony Pictures is gaining momentum, and some serious star power. Sources tell Deadline that Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes have boarded the first pic, a sequel to the original 28 Days Later.

Boyle is directing the first movie from a script by Alex Garland. Sony will release the film in theaters globally.

While plot details are vague, the original 28 Days Later in 2002 centered on a bicycle courier (played by Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to discover the world had been overrun with zombies following the outbreak of a virus. The pic grossed more than $82 million worldwide and led to a 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, on which Boyle and Garland served solely as EPs.

Deadline recently broke the news that the studio has already tapped Candyman director Nia DaCosta to helm the second part of the trilogy, and that the plan is to shoot both films back to back. As for the three newest cast members, the studio is clearly showing it means business, adding star power instead of going the lesser-known-actor route like in previous installments.

Boyle and Garland are also producing 28 Years Later, as is original producer Andrew Macdonald and Peter Rice. Bernie Bellew is also producing. Murphy is also returning as an executive producer.

Following her star-making and Emmy-winning role in Killing Eve, Comer has stayed busy on the feature film side, starring in such films as Free Guy opposite Ryan Reynolds and in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel. Next up, she can be seen in Focus Features’ The Bikeriders opposite Tom Hardy and Austin Butler.

For Taylor-Johnson, the job continues his strong partnership with Sony following a scene-stealing role in Bullet Train as well as the upcoming Marvel pic Kraven the Hunter. Next up, he’s in the Universal tentpole The Fall Guy that bows next week and also stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. He also has Focus’ gothic horror pic Nosferatu bowing this Christmas.

The Oscar-nominated Fiennes is currently finishing a 4-city International run of the sold out play, Macbeth in Washington, DC. The play was performed in Liverpool, London, and Edinburgh to sold out audiences in every city and to rave reviews He finishes his run in DC on May 5th. This fall he stars in two films, Conclave directed Edward Berger which will be released by Focus features and The Return directed by Uberto Pasolini opposite Juliette Binoche which will be released by Bleecker street

Comer is repped by Independent Talent Group, WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Fiennes is repped by 42 and CAA. Johnson is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and David Weber.