Picking up after the events of 28 Years Later—for which Union also served as sole VFX vendor—28 Years Later: The Bone Temple continues the iconic franchise that began with 28 Days Later.

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a discovery that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the only threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

With approximately 380 shots, visual effects were crucial in bringing to life a world still ravaged by the Rage Virus. 

The opening sequence relied heavily on VFX, which played their part in nearly every sequence of the film. Whether subtle or overt, these effects were essential not only for storytelling but to make the apocalyptic world feel believable.

The story begins at an abandoned leisure centre, where Spike and the “Jimmys” gather for a brutal initiation: a fight to the death, with survival earning a place in the group. Shot in a derelict leisure centre featuring a disused water park, the sequence required extensive VFX work to further age and weather the interior. Layers of moss, dirt, and decay were added throughout, alongside detailed blood and gore enhancements during the fight itself, which takes place in an empty swimming pool. This included digital weapons, arterial blood spray at the moment of impact, and an expanding pool of blood as the defeated Jimmy bleeds out.

The sequence culminates in a key establishing shot, as the camera pulls away to reveal the wider world beyond.

The leisure centre exterior was shot on location in Bradford. Union carried out substantial digital environment work to enhance and extend the location, adding surrounding buildings, terrain, and architectural elements to reinforce the post-apocalyptic world. This included abandoned and burned-out housing and vehicles, and distant cityscapes.

“There’s a VFX hole in the ceiling of the dilapidated building,” explains VFX Supervisor Dean Koonjul. “The camera pans up through the gap and out into the grim, derelict environment beyond. We extended and aged the surroundings and added tall, industrial, stupa-like chimneys—a precursor to what we see later in the film at the Bone Temple itself.”

Other environment work throughout the film involved several digital extensions of real locations to help geographically connect the various shoot locations, alongside the “28 Years Later” approach of rewilding and ageing existing environments that were established in the previous film.

Additional VFX work across the film included a blend of 2D and 3D effects, such as weapon augmentation, blood and gore enhancements, infected character treatments, burning-man head replacements, bird murmurations, extensive set extensions, and large-scale environment work.