Fox had plans for not one, but two 24 spinoffs before it scrapped plans for both projects. However, that doesn’t mean the door is completely shut on the franchise just yet. As it turns out, series star Kiefer Sutherland isn’t against returning, with the 24 actor all-in on bringing back Jack Bauer… but with a catch.
The last fans saw of Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer was in the 2014 limited series 24: Live Another Day. Since then, the actor has kept busy, most recently starring in Quibi’s The Fugitive. However, Sutherland says he’s always “left the door slightly ajar” with regards to possibly returning to the long-running series. Here’s what he told Forbes:
I’ve been banging my head against a brick wall for a movie for so long that I’ve got a concussion. Honestly, the form [that] more 24 would take doesn’t matter to me as much as the quality of the story. If someone comes up with a great story that can be told in two hours, then we’re going to make a movie, but if someone comes up with a great story that could be 24 hours, we’ll do the show.
It sure sounds like Kiefer Sutherland is poised and ready to return to 24 if the “quality of the story” being told is good enough. The fact that he doesn’t seem to mind if that story is depicted in a film or another season is testament to Sutherland’s dedication to the Fox series.
All that said, 24 ended well enough and I don’t think that every return to a past project is always a good thing. However, there’s a pretty good reason why Kiefer Sutherland isn’t so quick to turn down an opportunity to return as Jack Bauer. In his words:
As an actor, 24 remains one of the most dynamic experiences I’ve ever had. Where a character was allowed to have such highs and lows in such a fast period of time is a gift. There are very few setups that will allow you to do that, and I find that incredibly fun, challenging, and exciting. There’s been nine seasons, and I think it rests in a credible place. The difficulty is you don’t ever want to do anything that is going to damage that.
24 creator Howard Gordon also believes that doing more within the show’s universe would be worth it so long as it’s the “right story,” and I’m sure that when there is a good enough arc, Fox execs and Kiefer Sutherland will jump at the chance to give fans more of Jack Bauer.
