In 2014, the clock stopped ticking for Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer. Four years after the stellar 24 came to its official end after eight seasons, 24: Live Another Day picked back up with the character in London, and that miniseries is now known as 24 Season 9. But there have been attempts to bring Jack back to the airwaves, and not only has Sutherland read a script for the 24 reboot, he explained why it’s taking so long to become a reality.
The actor from the short-lived Rabbit Hole opened up on the subject while appearing on Montreal Now with Aaron Rand to tap about his new line of Canadian whisky, Red Bank Whisky. When Rand asked Sutherland about where things stand with 24 being revived, he answered:
Howard Gordon has come up with an idea that I like. Before, the material had not been written, so I would have to say, ‘I’m not the one that’s in the way.’ [But] something has been written. I think it’s really good. I think it’s really strong.
Trying to move a project forward without any scripts having already been written isn’t always the best course of action, so I’m not shocked that those earlier attempts at reviving 24 didn’t bear any fruit. However, now a script has been written, although it’s unclear if it’s for the first episode of a new TV series or a one-off TV movie. Either way, Kiefer Sutherland is impressed with what he read and sounds like he’s still game to reprise Jack Bauer in this version of the project.
That being said, the TV landscape is quite different compared to when 24 was airing, and now the show is now owned by a different company, which complicates bringing it back. As Sutherland explained:
24 was originally with Fox. Now it’s owned by Disney because of what Fox has sold off, and so it has to go through different channels before it’s either approved or disapproved. Like everybody else, it’s something I would really like to do. I would like to close that story. It was left kind of wide open. So, fingers crossed. There’s a chance. We’ve taken some considerable steps forward.
At the end of 24: Live Another Day, Jack Bauer was taken by Russian agents to answer for killing the Russian foreign minister and his lead operative, as well as his attempted assassination of Russian President Yuri Suvarov. All this was done to exact revenge for Renee Walker being murdered, but when Chloe O’Brian was apprehended as Live Another Day was winding down, he agreed to give himself up in exchange for his freedom. The one-season spinoff 24: Legacy did not address Jack at all, although his former ally Tony Almeida did appear in the latter half of that show.
So what happened from there? Has Jack Bauer been languishing in a Russian prison this whole time? Or did unseen events result in him ending up somewhere else? These are some of the questions that this 24 reboot can answer, and I hope that Disney is willing to give this espionage franchise another shot. And frankly, I’d rather the new 24 become a Hulu exclusive instead of returning to Fox, as that would allow for the show to go even harder with its violence and adult material.
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