Fox Are (Once Again) Discussing Bringing Back ’24’
Here we go again… According to reports, US network FOX are, once again, in “active creative discussions” about the possibility of bringing back Kiefer Sutherland-fronted drama ’24’.
Created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the original series starred Kiefer Sutherland as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. Each season saw him deal with some sort of threat, from presidential assassination to nuclear bombs, to bioterrorism and cyberwarfare, the drama pretty much ran the gamut of terrorist plots, and one CTU agent repeatedly having a very bad day. The unique selling point of the show was the fact that it played out in real-time.
According to Deadline, Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn has said “There’s still a possibility, there’s still some discussions with the producers on a take that we have yet to hear. There [are] some active creative discussions that are happening.”
This would not be the first time FOX has revived the drama. The series originally ran for 9 seasons (plus a tv movie), ending with ’24: Live Another Day’ which (spoilers…) concluded with Jack being bundled off to a Russian prison, never to be heard from again. There was a spin-off series, ’24: Legacy’, which saw Corey Hawkins play a new CTU agent having a very bad day, but that only lasted one season. There has been much talk of possible revivals of the show over the years, either as a straight-up continuation, or taking the “real-time” format and applying it to a new time-sensitive subject, such as a legal drama to save someone from death row, or a young Jack Bauer series, but none of those ideas are in the mix now, although it’s not clear what the producers are planning to pitch for a new series.
Kiefer Sutherland had been tied up on Netflix’s ‘Designated Survivor’ and Quibi series ‘The Fugitive’. More recently he has been playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in Showtime’s upcoming drama ‘The First Lady’, and starring opposite Chris Pine in the film ‘Violence of Action’. Whether that means he is now free enough, and willing, to step back into Jack Bauer’s shoes, or if that’s the direction the producers want to go, remains to be seen.
We must stress, this may come to nothing… again… or we may see the return of ’24’. But, “dammit!”, we’ll be sure to let you know if we hear any more news!
