28 Years Later star says Jimmy “revels” in evil and darkness during The Bone Temple

28 Years Later introduced the bizarre character of Jimmy to the franchise, and in forthcoming sequel The Bone Temple, we’ll discover what drives him.

Jimmy was introduced as a child at the start of 28 Years Later, witnessing unspeakable horrors in his family home.

Then he’s pretty much forgotten, until the very end of the movie, when Jimmy re-appears in a purple tracksuit, surrounded by loyal followers called ‘the Jimmies.’

He’s played by Sinners star Jack O’Connell during that climax, who returns in sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in January, when we’ll find out what drove the character to such an extreme.

28 Years Later star Jack O’Connell calls The Bone Temple “weird and deranged”

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, O’Connell calls The Bone Temple “the weird, deranged cousin to 28 Years Later, who you might be a bit ashamed of because they have weird, questionable interests.

“We see how much nature is the unstoppable force at the end of the day. Nature prevails. The world will take its natural course with or without humans. But I don’t think the infected are purely antagonists in our film. It definitely will make you consider that.”

O’Connell calls Jimmy “extremely dark and twisted” in the Bone Temple, thanks to what he witnessed at the start of the first film. “That plants an early seed for what he becomes. We’re in an apocalyptic world, and evil and darkness are two of the forces that have been able to still exist, and he revels in them.”

At the end of the previous movie, he helps Spike, and O’Connell says: “When we meet him he’s doing good. He seems to be doing something quite positive, but we definitely take him on a journey of twisted gaiety. That is what I was searching for when playing him: twisted gaiety.”

Director Nia DaCosta adds that The Bone Temple will answer the many questions posed by his tracksuited posse, saying that “you get to see more of what it means for the Jimmies to all be dressed the same and for them to be called the Jimmies; the cult of personality he’s created around himself.”

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is out on January 16, 2026. In the meantime you can read how 28 Years Later sets up The Bone Temple, and check out our list of the best horror movies ever.