Danny Boyle discusses unmade Sunshine trilogy plans, sharing new insight into the science fiction project’s history after its disappointing performance at the box office. Speaking 18 years after the original film‘s release, Boyle explained that Sunshine was initially designed to be just the first entry in a larger, unfinished saga.
Original Plans for the Sunshine Trilogy
Boyle revealed recently that the 2007 sci-fi film Sunshine, which followed a group of physicists on a mission to reignite the dying sun, was intended to begin a trilogy. Discussing his collaboration with screenwriter Alex Garland, Boyle said,
“Originally, when we were doing it, Alex [Garland] wrote two other parts. It was supposed to be a trilogy,”
—Danny Boyle, Director. While Garland never wrote full scripts for the sequels, he did create a conceptual outline involving a trio of interlinked stories centered around the sun. As Boyle shared,
“He only wrote an outline. [But] it was a planetary trilogy. It was to do with the sun itself, with two other stories.”
—Danny Boyle, Director.
Despite its distinctive premise and a cast that included Cillian Murphy as the lead scientist, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, and a younger Chris Evans, Sunshine struggled to attract audiences to theaters. The film found critical praise, but as Boyle admitted, it
“did no business at all at the box office.”
Tensions Behind the Scenes and Studio Response
One reason for the trilogy’s cancellation stemmed from the film‘s unyielding bleakness, which created friction with studio executives. Boyle recounted clashes with then-Fox chief Tom Rothman, who was upset by the movie‘s limited glimmers of hope.
“I remember him watching Sunshine, and I remember him saying, ‘The only hope you offer. The only hope you offer, Danny, is that little green plant shoot in that burnt-out oxygen garden. There’s a little green shoot, and you think there’s hope!’”
—Danny Boyle, Director. Rothman voiced particular frustration over a key moment involving Michelle Yeoh’s character:
“‘And Michelle Yeoh sees hope! Then you kill her! In that moment, you kill her! You can’t do this!’ Anyway, I remember a big blowout with him about that.”
—Danny Boyle, Director.
The Fate of the Unwritten Sequels
Although the story ideas for the planned Sunshine follow-ups never reached full script form, Boyle praised the creativity behind them, despite only having vague memories of the details. He admitted he
“can’t remember [the plot of either] in enough detail,”
—Danny Boyle, Director—but remarked there was
“an extraordinary idea in one of them”
—Danny Boyle, Director—that involved “looking outside and moving,” though the concept remained abstract. Alex Garland, whose later work like Annihilation shows his range as a storyteller, had the ability to turn unconventional ideas into compelling narratives.
Garland’s Storytelling Instincts and Legacy
Boyle highlighted Garland’s tendency to explore broad, expanding stories in his work.
“What’s interesting is Alex has a natural instinct as a storyteller to want to tell these expanding stories,”
—Danny Boyle, Director. This penchant for writing in trilogies eventually led to the development of an extended series in Boyle’s other collaboration, resulting in the upcoming film 28 Years Later. As Boyle put it,
“That is why 28 Years Later wound up as a trilogy.”
—Danny Boyle, Director. The new sequel, set to premiere in theaters on June 20, stands as a rare case where a trilogy concept came to life, unlike the abandoned Sunshine series.
The Enduring Impact of Sunshine and Its Cast
While Sunshine never received its intended sequels, the film‘s influence can still be seen in the later careers of its cast members, such as Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cliff Curtis, and Chris Evans. Their performances in the film, along with Boyle’s direction, generated a cult following despite Sunshine’s underwhelming box office results. Boyle’s discussion of the unmade trilogy offers fans a glimpse of what might have been—a more expansive journey across science fiction themes if only Sunshine had found a larger audience.
As Boyle revisits the origins, creative tensions, and legacy of the film, Sunshine remains a testament to risk-taking in genre cinema and the unpredictable path of ambitious storytelling. Whether these ideas will inspire future revisitations is unclear, but the saga behind the unmade sequels adds a fascinating layer to the story’s enduring legacy.
