Legendary Action Series Finally Nears Revival After 11 Years Away
The action series that redefined the genre is gearing up for a comeback after more than a decade. It's been 11 years since fans last saw it on the air, and now insiders say a revival is 'closer than ever.'
Jack Bauer might be getting called back in. Kiefer Sutherland says a new 24 idea is the closest it has ever been to happening, and for once, it sounds like there is actual script on the table, not just wishful thinking.
Where we left Jack Bauer
24 crashed onto TV in 2001 with a gimmick that actually worked: real time. Each episode played out one hour of one very bad day, complete with that evil ticking clock and a cliffhanger every single week. Across its run, the show pulled an 87% from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Some seasons even hit a perfect 100%, though the last few slid into the mid-70s. After eight seasons, Jack bowed out, only to resurface for a shorter ninth run in 2014, the London-set limited series 24: Live Another Day. Since then, radio silence.
So... is 24 actually coming back?
Sutherland jumped on CJAD 800 AM and basically said the quiet part out loud: the gears are moving. He credited longtime 24 boss Howard Gordon with cracking an idea that finally made him lean in. The rights side is a little inside baseball, but key: Fox originally aired 24, and after the Disney-Fox deal, Disney now owns the show, which means more approvals to get through. Sutherland sounds game to return and, importantly, wants to finish Jack Bauer's story properly.
'It has never been closer. Howard Gordon has come up with an idea that I like... Something has been written. I think it is really strong. 24 was originally with Fox. Now it is owned by Disney... it has to go through different channels before it is either approved or disapproved. I would like to close that story... We have taken some considerable steps forward.'
- There is a new concept from Howard Gordon, and Sutherland likes it.
- A script exists. This is not just a pitch floating around.
- Disney owns 24 now, so the project needs to clear Disney's internal approval maze.
- Sutherland wants to return to finish Jack's story, which he feels was left open.
- His words: it has never been closer, and there have been considerable steps forward.
How we got here
For years, there were rumblings about a 24 movie. That morphed into the 2014 limited series instead. Since then, there have been on-and-off whispers of more 24 development, but the Disney purchase of Fox in the middle of all that slowed everything down. Rights shuffles always do.
Will Disney actually pull the trigger?
If you are asking me, letting 24 sit on the shelf when there is a script Sutherland likes and a baked-in fanbase seems like leaving money on the table. Disney has already been mining the Fox library with real success on franchises like Alien and Predator. A final Jack Bauer run that properly closes the book is an easy sell. And if it lands, I would not rule out more than one season. But first, it has to clear those Disney approvals.
For now: cautious optimism. There is a plan, there is a script, and Sutherland is ready. No other casting chatter yet, though for context, longtime 24 fixtures include Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Elisha Cuthbert. When there is movement, we will hear that clock start ticking again.