Brian Grazer describes 24: Legacy

Fox has released two short audio clips of 24: Legacy Executive Producer Brian Grazer describing how the new show operates on the same basic principles as the original 24. Listen to them below or read our transcript.


Re: 24: LEGACY operates on the same basic principles as the original “24”

“What attracted audiences in the original 24 is the same basis of what will attract them today. It’s that we as a country are rooting for humanity. And in order to root for humanity, we create laws and rules that legislate that. Sometimes though, those laws prevent us from getting bad guys. And so this character [Eric] Carter, has to be the guy that can do things that help preserve humanity and peace for our country, but at the same time has to ultimately find ways to get through that red tape.”


Re: Why the creative team wanted to do a new spin on “24” with 24: LEGACY

“There were so many people that were such huge proponents of 24 the show in it’s original form. And just loved that in a way each year was kind of prescient as to what was going on in our social cultural militaristic world that we live in. And these writers – Manny, Evan, and Howard, always found a way to sort of intersect with what was going on in the planet and putting it in the show. And it often in the show gave life to something that we didn’t know what was going to happen.

We felt like we should continue this show. We did get it on its ninth year, but it just wasn’t enough, the audience really wanted much more of 24. And so between Dana and Gary and Howard, we just kept lobbying for this thing to come to life again. And we found this sort of perfect configuration of doing this show, actually without Jack Bauer, but with a character that is tough – black ops, that kind of a guy that can actually accomplish the wish fulfillment that Jack Bauer very credibly did in the first eight years of that show.

So we found a way to reconstruct 24 so that it operates today in today’s world with today’s problem – militaristic and political – in the same way that the first eight years did. But we’re doing it now with a different actor other than Kiefer Sutherland, other than the character of Jack Bauer, but someone that’s extremely competent that can do the same sort of wish fulfillment that Jack Bauer did in the first eight years. His name is Corey Hawkins who starred in “Straight Outta Compton”. The show also incorporates kind of the power dynamics that the first show had and the stylistic and cinematic construction that the first show had, but in a new and modern, original form.”

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Sounds awful. Sounds like they are just treading the same thing over and over, just like 24 was already doing, which was its weakness. But what kept me (and I can only speak for myself) attracted was the character of Jack Bauer and those surrounding him in the symbolic storytelling that was his tragedy. I watched it in spite of all the things mentioned above. I wasn’t about the torture and all that. It was about the characters’ progression.

And can 24: Legacy provide that? Sure. But I think they totally fail to realize that the superficial elements he’s talking about here are what really sucked about Live Another Day. It’s just the same bullshit.

They should have remade 24 and had it take place in some science-fictional world where things do not deal with terrorism and senate offices and all that crap. Put a guy in a time-travel program and send him to 2099 where he gets a certain amount of time (say, 12 hours) to retrieve something or perform a task, but then things go wrong. That’s just an example. Do something different.

The whole CTU white house thing is so fucking done.

The only thing I’m hoping for is the return of Tony which leads into Jack and maybe Chloe. Bring Jack back as a villain secretly working against the Corey Hawkins character, working for Russia, then that could be interesting.

I just don’t see the point in continuing this universe of 24 if its not about the characters we followed from the beginning. Where do you end it? Are you going to have made 9 seasons about one story and then make one or two seasons about totally different people that have no relation to the originals except they do the whole tired CTU/white-house thing? If so, it should have ended with Live Another Day.

I’m all for the real time concept, but used in something that’s not about terrorists, counter-terrorists, and senators.

Legacy will tie into 24 as its a spinoff that expands the 24 universe and establishes a new world of characters! So anyone who is still alive is fair game. Also Manny Coto confirmed Jack and Tony will get closure! The writers casted awesome people over 9 seasons! What Brian Grazer said was totally accurate

Could you provide the interview with Coto?

Also it’s a whole new story that focuses on the potential to activate new sleeper cells and radicalize Americans, a new CTU, new characters, new special ops with ties to the original! Jack’s story as the lead was basically over. Kiefer feels 24 will be successful without him as well! And bringing 24 back will attract to a whole new audience especially with the Super Bowl as the lead in and there was no corporate mandate in bringing 24 back!

24 is about racing against the clock to stop a terrorist attack with a hero doing that! Eric Carter will be a great hero

Kiefer did not want 24 to become a mad comic and has said how many bad days can one guy have. Kiefer is taking a break to protect the Legacy of the show and Jack! He has said from day 1 the real star of 24 is the real time concept! When the writers pitched the new season there was a point in their story where Jack will fit into the story organically or there were going to do 1 instalment without him. Jack could be back in a film or TV movie too