Elisha Cuthbert, 24's Kim Bauer

Kiefer Sutherland was interviewed on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show about his new television series Touch and dropped some new tidbits about the 24 feature film.

“I don’t believe in anything until it’s absolutely finished, but we’re scheduled to start towards the end of April. We have a fantastic script, and we’re putting all of the pieces together rather quickly. And as soon as the first season for Touch is finished, we would be planning to start moving into that.”

Seacrest asks “Can you give me two names of people besides you that will be in the 24 movie?” and Kiefer responds “There are a few people coming back, but I wouldn’t want to ruin that. Yeah, I don’t know if I could do that. I don’t know if I’m going to get in real trouble. But as it stands now, yeah, there is room for someone like Elisha Cuthbert, and there certainly is room for Chloe, and we’ll have to see what happens.”

Source: Ryan Seacrest (thanks Rob!)

24 showrunner Howard Gordon was interviewed on Good Day LA and of course was asked about the movie.

“The movie is just a little premature to announce it, but I think we’re all marching in that direction. There’s a script. And it’ll have to happen after Kiefer wraps on Touch. So we have a window and I hope you hear something soon.”

Full interview at Good Day LA

During todays Television Critics Association winter tour presentation panel for Touch, Kiefer Sutherland reiterated the current plans for 24‘s feature film. “We will be shooting end of April or beginning of May,” the actor said.

Kiefer also confirmed that just like the television series, the movie would take place over the course of a single day, though obviously not in real-time. As for where the movie will fit in the timeline of the series? Kiefer says it’s “relatively a direct continuation [from the series finale]. We’re talking maybe six months from the end of that episode.”

Although Kiefer Sutherland is tight-lipped when it comes to revealing the cast, Howard Gordon confirmed yesterday that fan favorite Chloe O’Brian would appear in the film along with new characters. The movie is being written by Mark Bomback and currently has no director attached.

Sources: TV Guide Magazine, TVLine

At todays TCA panel for Awake, executive producer Howard Gordon has confirmed to TV Guide’s William Keck that fan favorite Chloe O’Brian will take part in the upcoming 24 movie. He also mentions a summer shoot date.

#24 producer Howard Gordon tells me he’s hoping to shoot film with #kiefersutherland this summer – and Chloe would figure in with new cast

— William Keck (@KecksExclusives) January 7, 2012

Chloe was last seen being taken into custody by two FBI Agents for her part in helping Jack escape the country (watch the full Chloe’s Arrest epilogue here).

Deadline gives us an update on the 24 movie which is beginning to sound a lot more concrete.

The clock has started on 24, the feature version of the Imagine Entertainment/Fox series. The project, which brings back Kiefer Sutherland’s tireless government operative Jack Bauer. Mark Bomback–a favorite writer at 20th Century Fox writing The Wolverine and Shadow Divers–will turn in the latest script draft by year’s end. Imagine and the studio have about five directors in mind–no, Tony Scott is not attached anymore–and it will all begin happening very quickly in the early part of next year. The goal is to get the film into production to match Sutherland’s availability, which begins in April. That should give producer Brian Grazer something to do after he completes producing the Academy Awards and it is certainly good news for fans of the show who were beginning to fear the project wouldn’t happen.

Source: Deadline

UPDATE: If you needed any more confirmation, the official 24 Facebook page and former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon (via Twitter) have both acknowledged this report. Screenwriter Mark Bomback had actually worked with Howard Gordon before on the pilot for NBC’s “Legends”.

Brian Grazer, Producer on 24 movie

While at a press conference for Clint Eastwood’s new biopic J Edgar, journalist Ed Symkus bumped into Brian Grazer (who produced that movie and is producing the 24 movie) on an elevator and asked him a bit about the status of the 24 movie.

“We’re working on it,” he said. “We’re making the movie. We have a script, and the casting is going along great. We’re about to start casting the main antagonist, the person who plays against Jack Bauer. We have a really great role to play against Kiefer.”

I asked him when he thinks we’re going to see the film.

“I hope to have it out in the first quarter of 2012,” he said.

Source: WestRoxbury Patch (Thanks Rob)

Here are some fake 24 movie spoilers from Mary Lynn Rajskub (24′s Chloe O’Brian).

via fueltv

Here’s a radio interview in which Kiefer Sutherland talks about the 24 movie. Both he and former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon have been “very involved” in shepherding the project, which was written by Billy Ray.

“We’re gonna hopefully start production in April on the film, and that’ll be out later on in the year. We’re still a few months away, but we’ve got a script that we’re very excited about and we’re moving forward.”

When the interviewer asks Kiefer why the delay, Kiefer blamed his upcoming Fox television series Touch. “It’s something that kind of took up a lot of space for us to do, and that is as responsible as anything for us having to push the movie back about seven months,” said Kiefer.

(Thanks Rob for sending this in!)

Mary Lynn Rajskub has done an interview with TheInsider.com about her new show webseries Dicki, and of course is asked about the 24 movie as well. Despite Kiefer Sutherland claiming the screenplay was finished ten days ago (meaning characters would be locked down), Mary Lynn has yet to be contacted.

Mary Lynn might be pulling double duty soon since Kiefer Sutherland recently said that a 24 movie script was just about done — which came as news to his former co-star. “There have been no phone calls, no conversations, but I would love to read the script and take it from there. That show changed my life, there’s no reason I wouldn’t go back.”

But Mary Lynn did have one character caveat for returning: “They have to promise to make Chloe a weird stripper. I want to be mostly nude, because that’s where I am in my career right now.”

Source: TheInsider.com

Kiefer Sutherland has some great news for 24 fans – the screenplay for the movie has been finished and production is scheduled to start near the end of April.

“We’re very close (to a movie). We’ve worked very long and hard the last two years on a screenplay. It was actually much more difficult to take this idea that was in 24, which had 24 hours and 24 episodes to tell a story, and condense that into two hours. We thought it would be easier but it was much more difficult.

“Now a wonderful writer named Billy Ray has finished the screenplay. Hopefully we’re looking at the end of April to start production, and we’ll see.”

24 ran for eight seasons on Fox between 2001 and 2010. The movie is being developed by 20th Century Fox.

Source: C21Media

Update: here is the video of Kiefer saying this, thanks to Catherine and her great 24 fan site:

Billy Ray

Deadline reports that screenwriter Billy Ray is still penning the script to the 24 movie. Last we heard roughly ten months ago, his initial script was turned down by the studio.

Ray is scripting the revisionist Peter Pan pic Pan for Channing Tatum and Joe Roth, adapted A Captain’s Duty with Paul Greengrass directing Tom Hanks, and he continues to write the screen adaptation of the series 24 at Fox. He also scripted a remake of The Secret In Their Eyes, which Ray will direct. He’s repped by CAA and Management 360.

Source: Deadline

Just days ago Kiefer Sutherland revealed they are very close to having a finished script, and now Howard Gordon has backed that up by saying “there is a script” and things are “definitely moving forward”. It also looks like he will be involved in some fashion.

Do you think a 24 movie will ever actually happen?
If the movie happens, I’ll certainly be a part of it. Kiefer [Sutherland] also has his own show now (Touch on FOX) and there are a lot of things that would have to fall into place. But, those things are definitely moving forward. Imagine and FOX are talking, and there is a script that we’re re-approaching right now.

Source: Collider

Good news 24 fans – Kiefer Sutherland has revealed the 24 movie script is “very close” to completion.

When will we see the much talked about and anticipated big screen version of 24?
We are coming very close to having a finished script. That’s been the most difficult thing. You have to remember that we have 24 hours to explain the stories in 24 and so trying to condense that into a two-hour film version has been a real shift in gear for us.

We were originally trying to make it too big and put too much into it – but once we relaxed, we found out how to tell that story. So yes we definitely do plan on making the film.

Did you have any idea, at the start of 24, how it was going to captivate audiences worldwide?
It is seen all over the globe and to be able to be a part of a project that transcended languages and cultures over a long sustained period of time has been great. It was the largest audience I have ever had and it was an absolute thrill to work on that show.

But it also changed things for me. It did so much for my confidence. For those reasons alone I will be forever in debt to the experience I’ve had with 24.

Are you still enjoying working in television as well as film?
I like doing television – some of the best work I am seeing right now is on television. TV is where it’s going. As long as the scripts are interesting I don’t care where they are shown.

Source: The Telegraph

While doing press for his upcoming film Melancholia, Kiefer Sutherland told Entertainment Tonight’s Matte Babel that he hopes to start filming the 24 movie in March 2012.

24 Fans @realkiefer tells @thisisbabel they hope to start shooting the movie next spring - http://t.co/LL4lRnR

September 11, 2011 3:18 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@ETCanada

ET Canada

Kiefer had previously said “there’s a real strong push to start in January” and to get the film released in theaters by Summer 2012, which FOX called “overly optimistic“. Let’s see if this new date pans out (I wouldn’t hold my breath, personally).

Source: ET Canada (tweet)

Former 24 director and executive producer Jon Cassar was interviewed by CraveOnline about working on 24, his interesting thoughts on the 24 movie (which he is not involved in), and his new upcoming series Terra Nova. Here’s the 24 stuff:

CraveOnline: After eight years of 24, were you just like, “You know, I need a challenge?”
Jon Cassar: Yeah, so I went and did The Kennedys. Then after The Kennedys I said I needed a challenge and I went and did Terra Nova. Look, it’s fun as a director to do all sorts of things. This was going to be a challenge and I knew that, and look, my wife keeps telling, “Can’t you just take something easy for a change? Can’t you just take a nice little family drama that takes place in the living room?” and I just keep somehow saying no to those. So, yes, I did pick it as a challenge.

CraveOnline: I really thought that Jack was going to go home to his family in hour three of that last year.
Jon Cassar: Just didn’t happen.

CraveOnline: Was it a big shock when the Billy Ray script didn’t move forward for the 24 movie?
Jon Cassar: Not completely for me just because, remember, we did eight years of 24 and twenty four episodes a year. We mined a lot of story, and the other thing is, quite honestly, I think it’s difficult. The reality is that it’s difficult to do that story because everyone is caught up to 24. I mean, 24 was an influence as far as I think on movies. I think it influenced stuff like The Bourne Identity. It influenced a movie like Salt. You could’ve gone to any of those movies and made that character Jack Bauer and you had your 24 movie. So, I think we sort of fell behind a little, I guess, if you want to think about it that way because all those stories were done. I think that’s part of it, to try to find something new that isn’t going to be a Bourne Identity, isn’t going to be a Salt, not going to be one of those other movies. It’s tough. Even Taken was very much like 24. He was chasing his daughter. So, we mined all that material all ready. So, find a new thing. Not easy.

CraveOnline: It does seem like 24 invented daughters getting kidnapped.
Jon Cassar: That’s very true, actually. We were very good at it.

CraveOnline: Three times in season one I think.
Jon Cassar: Well, yeah. She was kidnapped for one very long time in season one and then it happened in two, I think, and then in three, maybe, too. I don’t remember. But yeah, you want your hero personally involved. That was always based on that.

CraveOnline: That was part of the fun, too, her getting saved midseason and then wondering what would happen next, right?
Jon Cassar: Yeah, but I think it was brilliant on the writer’s part in that first year. I remember watching that show, and look, everyone was doing special agencies and I did La Femme Nikita with Joel Surnow. We did it years ago, and so everyone was always doing that, but the twist that they put in it was the fact that his daughter was stuck in L.A., downtown at night. That changed everything because I can’t identify with Jack Bauer running around getting terrorists, but I can identify with my son or daughter being lost in downtown L.A. So, that made it all different, and I think that they knew that right away which is why they did it as much as they did. That’s why movies do it, too. You want that personal connection.

Source: Crave Online