Wired reports that Danny Boyle’s zombie sequel 28 Years Later was shot using multiple iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphones, making it the biggest movie ever made on an iPhone, with a production budget of around $75 million.
There are a couple of big caveats worth clarifying. First, the source for this story is anonymous, as the film’s crew had to sign NDAs. Also, the entire movie wasn’t shot on last year’s high-end Apple smartphone. Engadget confirmed that Boyle and his team used a variety of cameras, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max being just one tool.
Finally, the director didn’t just put the smartphones on tripods and call it a day: each iPhone appears to have been modified to integrate a full-frame DSLR lens (though come to think of it, professional lenses can be pretty pricey), and the smartphones were also housed in protective cases.
Even though cell phones weren’t exclusively used in the making of the film, it’s something of a full-circle moment for Boyle and his team: The original 28 Days Later was primarily shot on a prosumer-grade video camera, which at the time cost $4,000, that recorded footage onto MiniDV tape.
28 Years Later is the third film in the series and is scheduled to hit theaters in June 2025. The film stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Cillian Murphy. It is the first of three new films set in a fast-moving, raging zombie apocalypse. Plot details are scarce, but all three upcoming films are written by Alex Garland. He was the co-writer of the first film and has since gone on to direct genre films like Ex Machina, Annihilation Zone, and most recently Civil War. He also produced a truly underrated TV show called Devs.
Smartphones and Hollywood have come together in a number of films shot on iPhones, including Sean Baker’s “Tangerine” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Unsane.”
