After tonight, Jack Bauer is finally going to get a day off — for a little while anyway. Though 24 is going off the air, there are plans to make a movie based on the TV show. It’s supposedly going to involve Jack battling some form of evil in Europe. But, where does it stand?
Executive producer Howard Gordon recently told Movieweb, “The current status of the movie is that Billy Ray has written a draft which Kiefer Sutherland has read, and we’re all working together on the second draft.”
He cautioned, “Now, it’s not been shared with Fox or anybody so there is no official status right now. It’s very much a work in progress. Honestly, the movie division is on the other side of the lot and I don’t know and can’t measure their intentions or their timing, and certainly can’t measure their reaction to the script because they haven’t read it yet. ”
Gordon concluded, “So I think it’s all very much speculative at this point. I think our preference would be to do it sooner than later, of course, and get Jack back out in front of people within a year or two, but I don’t know. That would be just me speaking.”
The executive producer believes that there’s a tricky balance in crafting the movie script. He shared, “There are two sets of requirements, which is honoring the series and the creative integrity of the character, and also potentially bringing in a whole new group of people into the franchise who can then go back and watch, and believe it’s been consistent. So I think we recognize that we’re serving two masters or two audiences here, not that they are mutually exclusive but there are two requirements.”
One thing’s for sure, the conceit of events happening in real time will likely have to be abandoned. Gordon has shared in the past that the format, though interesting, often limited what kinds of stories they could tell. He believes that the movie can still work without it though. He said, “I think Jack Bauer the character has got sufficiently broad and strong shoulders to carry a movie in this genre.”
What do you think? Is the real-time format essential? What has to be in a 24 movie?
Image courtesy FOX.
Jack being hunted again. Escaping to EU? I just don’t see it. And he has certainly pi$$ed off people from a certain part of the world where terrorism is exclusively supported. So I think him going to East Asia would be a brilliant idea for the feature film. Him teaching ESL in, say Japan, SoKor, or HK, to survive would work out for him as a front. He’s Jack Bauer. He has a mile-long contacts list. His father left financial resources available to Jack. If the Russians happen to find him again, he’ll be ready.
Can it be called 24 if it doesn’t take place over 24 hours though?
If it is not real time it is not 24! The entire concept of 24 is that the events occur in real time. How can this be possible if they abandon this? If you ask me, I think that this some mo bull.
Just finished watching the Final season of 24. Chloe was not the only one crying! I am glad I have all the previous dvd’s of 24, I will start watch the series all over again.
My husband and I loved that show.
Just do it, as network TV will officially become all feminized crap from now on (Glee)….
In short, no, I do not think the movie would need to stick to the real time format. In fact I think abandoning that format would even open up opportunities to tell a different kind of story (one that could span days or even months) and for fans to get to see Jack in a somewhat different way. I do think some clever allusion to the real time setting of the series at some point in the movie would be cool (perhaps Jack has exactly 20 min. to do something central to the plot and suddenly the moving jumps into… Read more »
Keifer Sutherland as jack bauer
for a movie real time wont work
They need to start off telling us what happened to him after tonight episode
Both of those are confirmed.
Obviously Keifer is in… He’s an ep.
As it stands now it will be a 24 hour
story in 2+ hours. Personally I don’t see that
changing, but someone could muck it up.
There will be more info coming out in a day or 2.
Cheers!
i just want a movie cause i cant believe that my favoite show is over please just give me that chill i get when i watch 24
24-hour movie, 24 hours of real time action. search inside yourselves, you know this is the only respectable option.
@mailman
ABSOLUTELY.
There’s already been a “24 movie”…it was called Nick of Time and very closely resembled portions of the season 1 plot. The concept of “events occur in real time” has pretty much been toast since season 3 or so, and even that early they were taking pretty good liberties with time flow. On the other hand, if you lose the real-time element, then there’s very little to make a 24 movie stand out from all the other action/adventure and spy thriller mish-mosh that annually descends upon theaters. Sure, a hardcore fan base will turn out to watch, but producers need… Read more »
@RandalH: I’ve often thought of Nick of Time w Johnny Depp. It really kept me on the edge of my seat, just like 24 at times.
I am an avid 24 watcher i have seen every episode from day 1 I also own all 7 seasons on dvd and intend on getting the last season. What i think that Keifer needs to be in the movie Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe and i think it needs to continue with the Russian and the US looking for Jack as he is trying to Protect his Family from the Russians with help from Chloe
Replace James Bond with Jack Bauer!
I think the movie should stay within a 24 hour period, but not be in real time. Thus a 2 hour movie would tell a story that spans one 24 hour day.
What has to be in a “24” movie is Keifer Sutherland as Jack! If not it will not work!