28 Days Later Has Multiple Alternate Endings (That You Can’t Watch on Streaming)

28 Days Later was a strikingly different take on the zombie movie genre when it was released in 2002. Building on the legacy of George A. Romero and other zombie pop culture masterminds, 28 Days Later delivered a bleak, decidedly modern vision (at the time) of what the zombie apocalypse could look like. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland realized something so distinctive that it quickly informed countless subsequent zombie features and TV shows – particularly the depiction of speedy zombies.

Despite being so unique, 28 Days Later’s ending was considered somewhat nebulous and undefined. Multiple alternate endings exist for this British horror feature, but good luck finding them on modern streaming services. 28 Days Later‘s alternate endings have become increasingly difficult to find in the modern world.

What Are The 28 Days Later’s Alternate Endings?

Back in the 2000s, DVDs would contain endless oodles of fun goodies to make these pieces of physical media more exciting and enticing to consumers. That’s how you end up with treasures like the original Lord of the Rings Extended Edition behind-the-scenes featurettes or the initial wave of Platinum Edition Disney DVDs. The 28 Days Later DVD was firmly part of this trend by offering customers a whopping three alternate endings to the film. This trio of replacement endings each made it clear that Boyle intended for 28 Days Later to end on a significantly grimmer note.

In 28 Days Later‘s theatrical cut, protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy) survives to the final frame alongside fellow major characters Selena (Naomie Harris) and Hannah (Megan Burns). The feature’s final minutes even offer hope that maybe a helpful military jet has seen them. However, Jim didn’t fare nearly as well in the alternate endings, as he perishes in each of them. One ending depicted Jim succumbing to bullet-inflicted wounds, while another ending intercut footage of the accident that sent Jim to the hospital in the first place.

The most elaborate of these alternate endings was one depicted on storyboards on the DVD and also offered hope for Brendan Gleeson’s Frank. Here, Jim sacrifices himself by transfusing his blood to Frank. After the successful operation, the recently infected father returns to his human status while Jim becomes a member of the undead. Clearly, none of these drastically different endings are canon, since Jim is slated to have a role of some kind in the 28 Years Later sequels. Keeping Jim alive didn’t just ensure 28 Days Later had a more crowd-pleasing ending in 2002: it also opened up new narrative doors for its later sequels.

Read Next

28 Years Later Sequel Release Date and Everything We Know

Where Did These Alternate Endings for 28 Days Later Go?

If you possess a copy of 28 Days Later from its original DVD printing or can find these alternate endings on YouTube, you too can get a glimpse at how Boyle and Garland were flexible over how this radical new version of a zombie movie would end. Even though much of the feature was deeply specific, these varied endings (even the one that only made it to storyboards) make it clear that not every aspect of 28 Days Later was fully-realized from the get-go. Unfortunately, the scarcity of these alternate endings in the modern cultural landscape reflects something just as scary as a zombie invasion.

Part of this scarcity is simply a byproduct of how, prior to December 2024 (when the first 28 Years Later trailer immediately spiked interest in all things connected to this franchise), 28 Days Later was unavailable for streaming on any digital format for eons. However, difficulties in finding these alternate endings also reflect how bonus features are now a tragic thing of the past. Alternate endings and countless additional goodies were previously guaranteed fixtures of DVDs.

Such material is no longer supplied by the likes of Netflix, Tubi, HBO Max, or other streaming platforms. Now that special features are an “arcane” relic from another era of home viewing, things like the 28 Days Later alternate endings have gotten lost in the shuffle. That’s an immense tragedy on countless levels, especially since they provide such an insightful glimpse into the making of a horror feature still influencing pop culture. Even if streaming won’t provide immediate access to them, these 28 Days Later alternate endings still captivate the imagination of moviegoers and provide a welcome gaze into the creative process.

28 Days Later is now streaming on Pluto TV.