The upcoming Danny Boyle horror sequel 28 Years Later has been shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, multiple people familiar with the production confirmed to Wired.
Details about the film have been largely guarded, except that the director took advantage of Apple’s product lines. It appears that the iPhone 15 Pro Max was used by Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. The staff were prevented from giving out information about the film because of NDAs but a behind-the-scenes shot from July has appeared, showing that normal cameras have not been used.
Starring Jodie Comer, next James Bond favourite Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later, set for release in June 2025, is the follow-up to 28 Days Later (starring Cillian Murphy, 2002), which is known for its portrayal of zombies being scary fast, and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later.
Mantle and Boyle have worked together in Slumdog Millionaire, Trance, T2 Trainspotting, 127 Hours and 28 Days Later. The duo used a Canon XL-1 to shoot the 2002 film and it was a milestone for filmmaking.
A paparazzi photograph shows Comer near a movie camera that appears to be made by German manufacturer Arri but zooming in, the picture reveals that the long lens is attached to a protective cage holding something that could be an iPhone.
The iPhone has been a tool among filmmakers for years and has been used to shoot Sean Baker’s Tangerine (2015) and the Steven Soderbergh drama Unsane (2018). But these were low-budget offerings compared to 28 Years Later.
Mantle and Boyle started innovating with the camera in 2001 because the crack-of-dawn scenes in 28 Days Later were difficult to shoot because of strict time constraints on the moviemakers. Filming with massive cameras would have taken ages, so they went about shooting with eight lightweight Canon digital camcorders, which then were considered entry-level ENG (electronic news gathering) cameras.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are famous for the way it captures Apple ProRes video in log colour profile at 4K resolution. The new iPhone 16 takes the video game many steps further. Besides filmmakers, broadcasters too are leaning on iPhones.
