It has to be mildly frustrating to be Kiefer Sutherland, since he presumably can’t get through a single interview without someone bringing up the prospect of him returning to the 24 universe as super-badass Jack Bauer. But then it’s also frustrating for his fans, as he has consistently flip-flopped from one stance to the next over the years. Despite relatively recently saying that he wouldn’t return for the reboot-ish 24: Legacy, Sutherland has now signed on as a producer for the show, and he’s no longer quite as steadfast about Jack Bauer not returning.
I've said that twice and have been wrong, so I won't say that again. . . . It's a phenomenal script. I think it's going to be incredibly liberating for the writers to not have to figure out one more bad day for Jack Bauer. They get to write for new characters. And Bauer's still out there, so you never know what's going to happen.
This basically means that the show will now be all about Jack Bauer and not the new characters that we were previously interested in, right? Well, maybe not, but we all know that as soon as Kiefer Sutherland starts to get more open-minded about his fan-favorite role, a reprisal is imminent.
It makes sense, considering Sutherland’s hesitance about returning to 24 had a lot to do with wanting to branch out with other projects and not wanting to dedicate such a huge chunk of time and energy to future seasons. (That also went into 24: Live Another Day only being 12 episodes.) Having Jack Bauer pop by in a limited appearance, though, would both save the actor from entering a hectic production and it would also provide some major fan service. That is, unless the writers decided to kill him off, although it’s a fate that quite a few viewers wanted to see each of the last times we thought it was Bauer’s last adventure.
Sutherland also talked to Rolling Stone about his new show Designated Survivor, in which he plays a housing minister that finds himself as the new President of the United States after an attack happens during the State of the Union address. The actor says that this project has him feeling as excited as he was in the first few years of 24, so maybe that jubilance has him a little less wary about returning to the franchise that turned him into a TV icon.
With or without Jack Bauer’s presence, 24: Legacy will center on Corey Hawkins’ Eric Carter, an Army Ranger who returns home to his family but soon finds that his troubles weren’t left in the past. He attempts to get CTU’s help in the matter, and he eventually teams up with Miranda Otto’s former CTU head Rebecca Ingram, who is having second thoughts about leaving her position. The show will also star Anna Diop, Teddy Sears, Jimmy Smits and Dan Bucatinsky, among others. No premiere date is set, but expect the first of 12 episodes to hit Fox this fall.
