In 2001, Kiefer Sutherland blasted onto screens as Jack Bauer, and changed TV forever. After eight seasons and a belated, shorter ninth season entitled Live Another Day, it seemed that Bauer had come to the end of his journey. Now, more than a decade on, perhaps the door is opening on another revival of 24, one of the most groundbreaking series in television history.
What made 24 unique was its use of real-time, with every episode covering an hour of Jack Bauer’s latest day from hell. Each episode began and ended with the ticking of that iconic clock, and every episode ended on a cliffhanger moment to end all cliffhangers – every single time. Overall, the series scored 87% from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, but several seasons were rated a perfect 100%, and it was only the last few that dipped into mid-70s.
So, could the return of Jack Bauer be overdue? According to Sutherland, during an appearance on CJAD 800 AM, the revival of 24 has “never been closer.” He said:
“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. 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.”
Will ’24’ Season 10 Actually Happen?
Fans of 24 have been hearing rumors of a possible big screen outing for Jack Bauer for years. That was seemingly abandoned for the ninth season in 2014. Since then, there have been several whispers that development on a new 24 series had begun, but somewhere in the middle, Disney went and bought Fox.
While some would consider this a problem, Disney allowing one of their many adopted IPs to sit collecting dust when there is potentially a strong script, a returning star, and a fandom waiting to see one more Jack Bauer adventure out there is a ridiculous idea to even consider. Having already worked their way through several big IPs, with huge success for the Alien and Predator franchises among others, Disney would surely be happy to have Sutherland bringing Bauer back to close the book on the story in a more definite way than Season 9 achieved. Who knows, perhaps there could even be more than one season left in the old dog.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
