Don't lose your heads (to Jack Bauer and a hacksaw), but 24 is coming back!

As a devoted worshipper in the church of Jack Bauer, it was quite disheartening to hear the news that the greatest counter-terrorist agent in the history of everything ever would not be getting his big screen debut. 24, the multiple Emmy award winning drama series, had to scupper its long in development feature film plans due to star Kiefer Sutherland being too busy with his current show, “Touch”. Well, I say current, but “Touch” actually just got cancelled after two seasons, which means that Sutherland’s suddenly gained some free time.

And it looks like he’s wasting no time in filling that gap, as he appears to be getting ready to return to his most famous role.

Now before you get too excited, I just have to burst your kneecap (Jack Bauer doesn’t burst bubbles) and inform you that no, this will not be a feature film. Director Antoine Fuqua, who was attached to direct for the longest time, has already completely pulled out (and besides he already got to do his 24 movie with Olympus Has Fallen) and there doesn’t appear to be much momentum on that front.

However Deadline is reporting that Sutherland is currently in talks with Fox to reprise the show as a “limited event series”. As to what a limited event series actually is, well earlier in the year Fox announced another two “event series”, namely M. Night Shyalaman’s Wayward Pines and Blood Brothers from Bruce C. McKenna (Band of Brothers, The Pacific), Gary Randall (The Glades, Saving Grace) and Timothy Scott Bogart (Majors & Minors, Touched).

These two series have been positioned as having a much shorter episode count than normal series but also a much, much larger budget. Essentially like 10 – 12 hour long moderately budgeted movies. Which, in all honesty, actually sounds far more promising than forcing 24’s real-time 24 hour format into a 90 minute movie.

There are no other details yet on what this new mini-season would be about, or which supporting characters will also return (go Chloe!), but seeing as how the show’s 8th and final season [SPOILER WARNING] left Jack on the run from both the American and Chinese governments without the support of CTU, that would certainly be a good place to start.

Either way, whichever story direction they head in, I’m just overjoyed that we’re finally getting more 24. Looks like my plan of kidnapping and putting a bullet in the femurs of the wives of Fox executives has finally paid off. And right before I was going to break out the impromptu desk lamp electrocution device. I was looking forward to that.

Last Updated: May 13, 2013