The world may yet be ready to watch one of its favorite scowling action heroes finally return to the small screen. Understandably, that doesn't narrow it down all that much, as aggressive frowning appears to be how hardcore dudes like that show affection. In this case, the big angry shooty man in question is none other than 24's Jack Bauer, but things might not turn out exactly how some may expect.
Michael Thorn, President of Fox Entertainment, appears confident that there's a real possibility of more 24 sometime in the future. But this isn't just a handwave to quell eager fans. According to Thorn, there are actual discussions taking place regarding a potential relaunch of the addictive action thriller series.
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"There's still a possibility, there's still some discussions with the producers on a take that we have yet to hear," Thorn said in an interview with Deadline. "There [are] some active creative discussions that are happening." His comments were further corroborated by similar words from Howard Gordon, executive producer on 24, saying that efforts and talks regarding a new chapter in the series are "always percolating." So either 24 fans can afford to get a little hopeful, or Gordon was really craving coffee at the time.
This could be some exciting news, particularly since fans of Kiefer Sutherland's growly violent CTU agent Jack Bauer haven't had the pleasure of enjoying his high-octane presence since 2014's limited series 24: Live Another Day. Unfortunately, however, Sutherland has stated numerous times in the past that he wouldn't want to return to the franchise, instead, he has given his blessing to the recent (albeit short-lived) continuation 24: Legacy as well as enjoying the odd video game voice acting gig. It's not to say that the series can't exist without Sutherland, but the folks behind it would certainly be hard-pressed to find someone else who can carry a show like this so well.
This is only the latest confirmation of the extended conversations happening behind the scenes. Thorn and others at Fox have spoken about efforts to resurrect 24 several times over the years, and while many of those specific projects haven't panned out, the fact that they're still willing to keep at it is encouraging. There are a number of caveats, however, including Sutherland's willingness (or lack thereof) to return. As some of the proposed new projects have been admittedly promising prequel ideas, it's certainly beginning to seem more and more likely that any hope of that particular character returning may be dwindling.
Of course, there's no need to lose all optimism. 24's greatest strengths were its pulse-pounding storytelling and characters, and as long as the people behind a potential new series understand that, it has every chance to be something special. This may be wishful thinking, but when has relentless pessimism helped? Good action is always worth watching. Hey, maybe Mary Lynn Rajskub is ready for Chloe to get a promotion from analyst O'Brian to action hero O'Brian.
24 is now available to stream on Hulu.
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Source: Deadline