’24’ Could Return Again — But As An Entirely Different Kind of Show, Fox Execs Say
If the “24” clock ticks again, it will be for very different reasons.
Fox executives confirmed Tuesday that executive producer Howard Gordon and Imagine TV’s Brian Grazer are kicking around completely new ideas for the real-time format that shifts away from its roots. A new version won’t likely focus on the show’s bread-and-butter terrorism and potential apocalypse storylines.
The decision to rethink the “24” universe comes after Fox opted not to bring back revival “24: Legacy” for another season. “24: Legacy” was pitched as a limited series, but might have continued had ratings been higher.
Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden said “24: Legacy” still succeeded in giving viewers “a taste again” of the “24” franchise, and “whetted their appetites. We’re exploring where the next version might live.”
Walden said Gordon and Grazer “have an exciting idea that was very compelling, but we’re in the early stages.”
The new world of “24” will still likely have some kind of ticking clock, but applied to something else. Don’t expect Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, or Corey Hawkins as Eric Carter, to return.
“The next version of ’24’ will not be the CTU, but some other venue using that same style,” said Fox Entertainment president David Madden. Walden and Madden said the idea isn’t science fiction – and not a musical.
Walden said the “24” ideas being kicked around aren’t even necessarily action-oriented.
“Partly what is exciting, we’re opening up the possibility of it being anything. Anything where that 24-hour clock hits at the most critical period in a story. I don’t want to limit them that it should only be an action-oriented show. Maybe not. Maybe it’s emotional action. But we’re keeping the opportunity for them to keep their thoughts open. The idea I’m excited about currently is not [an end-of-the-world story].”
