Kiefer Sutherland once suggested the hit show 24 could tell a story not related to Jack Bauer. Now we may be about to find out if that is true.
FOX has reportedly ordered a pilot for a spinoff series titled 24: Legacy which will include a brand new cast but continue using the same real-time formula in a battle against terror. That means no more Kiefer Sutherland, at least in any starring role. Of course, the last time we saw Bauer he was being taken captive by the Russians, and that was the last time FOX went back to the well with the 24 franchise.
This would be the second time FOX has looked for a way to breathe new life into the 24 franchise. The new series will be scheduled to film this winter and 24-veteran Stephen Hopkins has been lined up to serve as the director. Hopkins was credited as a co-executive director for 24 episodes of 24 in its early run.
The talk about a new 24 has floated around for a while, but this is the first step FOX has shown to make it a reality. Previous reports have suggested the show will focus on a new male protagonist hunting down evil terrorists, which is essentially the plot to every season of 24 thus far. This news of a pilot still gives us more questions than answers that diehard and loyal 24 fans will want to know.
Will the new spinoff be a 24-episode story, or will it be abbreviated like the last iteration of the franchise with some minor skipping along in the timeline?
If we know Bauer will not be around, will we get any glimpse of Chloe?
Will this new show serve as a follow-up in any way to the original 24 story we know, or merely follow in the timeline as a completely separate saga with minor at best references to the original franchise? Or will this serve as a prequel of sorts to the 24 franchise, in which case one of many previous characters killed off could be revisited? Now that would offer some serious fan satisfaction, if handled properly, and fans of the show know there are many characters we’d like to see at least one more time, and perhaps others we never need to see again.
