Turns out Cillian Murphy wasn't the viral zombie in the 28 Years Later trailer

Following the release of the trailer for the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller 28 Years Later, Internet sleuths have been hard at work to determine the identity of the zombie that appears at the 1min 48sec mark of the video.

Given its sunken cheekbones and chiselled jawline, many have speculated that the zombie is Jim – the main character of the original 28 Days Later, played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy.

"Ozempic is getting out of control," joked one netizen.

Another fan wrote: "Cillian Murphy stuns in first look at 28 Years Later" while posting a picture of a certain shrivelled character from Spongebob Squarepants.

Despite the memes and speculation, British news outlet The Guardian reported on Wednesday (Dec 11) that the zombie in question isn't Murphy and is, in fact, played by a model named Angus Neill.

Neill, who is also an art dealer, told The Guardian that he was spotted by the movie's director Danny Boyle.

“Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role,” said Neill. “So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part.

“On set, he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”

So where does this leave Cillian Murphy?

Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, previously confirmed that Murphy would be making an appearance in 28 Years Later "in a surprising way and in a way that grows".

Cillian Murphy himself is an executive producer of 28 Years Later and his name appears as a hashtag in the description box of 28 Days Later's trailer on YouTube.

So chances are fans will get to Jim – in full human glory – once 28 Years Later lands in theatres on Jun 20, 2025.