24: Kiefer Sutherland on the 24 Movie

Last week, word surfaced that plans to start filming the 24 movie next month had been cancelled, at least for the immediate future. A Fox spokesperson said that the delay was due to timing and the fact that the studio didn’t believe the script was ready. Insiders believed Kiefer Sutherland was upset that he was being offered far less money than he’d been asking for to star in the feature (he’s also be an executive producer).

At a recent event held at the American Museum of Natural History to promote Sutherland’s new FOX series, Touch, TV Guide asked Sutherland about the reports and the status of the movie.

He said, “I have a very definitive window because of Touch and other commitments to make [the 24 film]… We’re still trying to get it in this slot. It’s looking — in all fairness and all honestly — less probable, but we’re still trying. And if we don’t, we’ll wait eight months and do it then. What’s most important is that we put ourselves in a position to make the best movie possible.”

In regard to reports that he was upset over the salary being offered, Sutherland said, “I’ve been traveling with regards to Touch in London, Berlin, Madrid and Moscow at the time [the story was reported and published], so none of that came from me… The relationship I have with Fox — obviously I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t amazing.”

He concluded, “I’ve wanted to make this movie for a very long time and I keep trying to push it forward. And I think, very responsibly, the window that we have to make it is very small. They want to make the best movie possible — than means getting the best director, the best actors for this show. There’s a lot of scheduling there, there’s a lot of moving parts.”