Last month, Fox gave a series order to the reboot24: Legacy, which will center on a new cast of characters withoutKiefer Sutherlandas Jack Bauer.Corey Hawkinswill star as the hero, an Army Ranger who works with the CTU to help stop a deadly terrorist threat. There have been hints thatKiefer Sutherlandmay actually return in a much smaller role as Jack Bauer, but today we have a report that reveals, if the actor had gotten his way, his beloved character would be dead.
Kiefer Sutherlandstarred asJack Bauerfor 8 seasons during the original24’s run, and he also returned for the 2014 event series24: Live Another Day. The actor had long maintained that he was through playing Jack Bauer after the event series, but according to producerHoward Gordon,Kiefer Sutherlandwas insistent that Jack Bauer should die. Here’s what the producer had to say, during an interview withVariety.
“Kiefer [Sutherland] actually wanted Jack Bauer to die, and we had many conversations about it… many of us, including his agent, tried to talk him out of it, but then there was an edict from very high up [within Fox] and Jack Bauer is still alive.”
It isn’t known if the actor wanted to kill off his iconic character during the original24run, or in the24: Live Another Dieevent series. Still, ever sinceKiefer Sutherlandsigned on as an executive producer on this new series in April, there has been talk that Jack Bauer may be back. Here’s whatHoward Gordonhad to say about the potential return of Jack Bauer.
“There’s always a chance he could come back. Jack Bauer has cast a very long and powerful shadow. Carrie Mathison [Claire Danes' character inHomeland] was born out of Jack Bauer. So was Corey’s character. We are fishing in the same pond for stories. Jack Bauer is the atom.”
The24 spinoffchronicles an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to stop a devastating terrorist attack on United States soil - in the same real-time format that has propelled this genre-defining series. Six months ago in Yemen, an elite squad of U.S. Army Rangers, led by Sergeant Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins,Straight Outta Compton), killed terrorist leader Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid. In the aftermath, Bin-Khalid’s followers declared a fatwah against Carter, his squad and their families, forcing them into federal witness protection. But a recent attempt on Carter’s own life makes it clear to him that his team is now exposed. To thwart further attacks, Carter enlists Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto,Homeland), who quarterbacked the raid that killed Bin-Khalid. Together, in this fast-paced thrill ride, Carter and Ingram uncover a sophisticated terrorist network that will force them to ask: “Who can we trust?” As they battle Bin-Khalid’s devotees, they are forced to confront their own identities, families and pasts.
