In this brave (or possibly cowardly) new world of remakes, reboots, and spinoffs, it seems like just about everything is fair game, so it should come as no surprise that FOX is reportedly developing a spinoff from its popular television drama 24 that would replace Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer with a new lead character.
The rumor found its way online via TVLine, which reports that the network is working on a series that would pair a new male lead with an older, female antiterrorism agent and pit the pair against various terrorist threats (probably involving dirty bombs, because let’s face it: it’s always dirty bombs) in the “real-time” format that helped make the original series so popular.
While Sutherland’s famous counter-terrorism specialist isn’t being written into the series initially, he’s expected to make a cameo here and there to establish the show’s relationship with the original series. Yvonne Strahovski’s antiterrorism agent Kate Morgan is also rumored to have some cameo potential in the series.
24 showrunner Howard Gordon confirmed development of the series during the recent Critics Choice Television Awards, and indicated that the spinoff series will be organized in the “limited series” format that has become popular for spinoff and revival series in recent years. (Last year’s sequel series 24: Live Another Day was produced in a similar, limited-run format.) If successful, the network is leaving open the possibility of extending it into a full, season-long series.
The still-untitled spinoff series will bring back 24 writers and producers Manny Coto and Evan Katz along with Gordon. The original 24 series ran for eight season from 2001-2010, and earned its cast and creative team 20 Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, along with 48 additional nominations.
There’s no air date for the series at this point, but we’ll keep an eye out for it so stay tuned.
