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.
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”.
This is hardly the first time that Jack Bauer and 24 have been mentioned on a popular television show, but definitely one of the coolest. USA Network’s In Plain Sight dropped a few 24 shoutouts in their latest episode including Jack Bauer, Chloe O’Brian, CTU, and even a “damn it”! Check out the clip below:
Here’s a funny video showing what the Osama Bin Laden raid might have looked like if Jack Bauer was involved. Now we know what he’s been up to since 24 ended last year. And of course props to our awesome Navy SEALS who were the real Jack Bauer in this case.
UK 24 fan Tom Brown just recently got his seventh24 tattoo. First was the 24 logo on his thumbs. Then came the 24 logo behind his ears for his 24th birthday. Then Jack Bauer, then Tony Almeida. David Palmer was next and Renee Walker after that. Now today he’s added Charles Logan. Check out the gallery below:
He’s not done yet either as he still wants to get a tattoo of Mandy as well! Follow Tom on Twitter.
The shocking 24 Season 1 finale has made Entertainment Weekly’s list of “26 Great TV Season Finales” and here’s what they had to say:
24
Poor Mrs. Bauer, Season 1
Jack Bauer doesn’t play by the rules. But no one could have predicted that 24‘s creators would go rogue and break a widely assumed rule of television drama: Major characters are supposed to be immortal. Someone must have missed that memo, and the result was a first-season finale shocker that robbed our hero of a stereotypical stroll into the sunset, and instead left him cradling the lifeless body of his wife. Teri Bauer took a bullet in the stomach, courtesy of Jack’s old flame, and killing her off took some serious guts. Unlike other series, when 24‘s writers warn that no character is safe, they mean it. —Gretchen Hansen
For those that wanted more closure in the 24 series finale, it seems like we’ll be getting just that – but not how you think! Kiefer Sutherland will be guest-starring as Jack Bauer in the 23rd season of The Simpsons and the plot takes place after the events of Season 8.
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on The Simpsons
As for Sutherland, he’ll voice a character very similar to his 24 crusader. “It’s Jack Bauer now — no longer working,” previews Jean. “So he goes to Springfield because too many people are trying to kill him. He befriends the Simpsons, but then one of the guys who wants to kill him sees him on YouTube after he foils a robbery at Moe’s Tavern.”
Let’s hope that’s not the closest we ever get to a 24 feature film!
Kiefer previously starred in the eighteenth season of The Simpsons (2007) along with 24 co-star Mary Lynn Rajskub in a parody called “24 Minutes“.
Here’s the official 24 Season 1 (series premiere) trailer – as far as I know this is the first time it’s been online. The end of this trailer shows footage of the airplane explosion that was removed before the series aired because of the September 11th attacks.
E. Magill over at Open Salon has made a list of eight suggestions the 24 movie should follow. It’s a great list coming from someone who is clearly a fan of the show and hopefully whoever is writing the 24 movie follows these guidelines.
At this point, it is impossible to get away with killing off Jack Bauer. It would be like killing Dirty Harry, John McClaine, or James Bond. He has simply become too iconic and too strong a character to let him die. Naturally, you can (and should) toy with the audience and make them believe it is possible that Jack could die in the end, but he needs to limp away to reluctantly fight on another day.
Killing Bauer would be like killing a part of America at this point, and it would force the movie to end too bleakly. After all, Jack Bauer is the modern superman who cannot be replaced, so if he dies, there won’t be anybody to take his place and America would crumble under the weight of all the terrorists, CTU moles, and evil government agents Jack Bauer keeps at bay on a daily basis. Besides, I’m sure the execs at Fox want Jack Bauer to live for as long as he remains profitable, so killing him off is a good way to get your script rejected.
Check out E. Magill’s entire blog post at Open Salon.
CNN has interviewed Howard Gordon about his novel Gideon’s War (and the upcoming sequel Allegiance) and even linked to my review/website in the article. Sweet, thanks CNN! :)
“Gideon’s War” is not by any means Gordon’s first effort to connect with an audience. As a former executive producer for The “X-Files,” and a consulting producer for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” he clearly has shown a knack for keeping things exciting. But will people line up to shell out money for his latest project?
“It’s hard to break out like this guy,” says Gail Ross, a nonfiction literary agent based in Washington who admits to being a closet fiction reader. “But he’s got enough notoriety, and once you have the blurb from people you trust and the brand recognition, the readers will talk to each other.”
Gordon is getting a little help from his friends for sure. Kiefer Sutherland, the star of “24,” has offered a blurb for the back cover of Gordon’s book. [click to continue…]
Some great 24 movie news from LA Times. They are reporting that the 24 movie is actively being worked on and is a “priority” for both the studio and producers, with Kiefer Sutherland meeting with a high-profile writer.
Despite Kiefer Sutherland’s enthusiasm for a “24″ movie, which he told “Extra” yesterday would begin filming in eight months, the movie is still a project very much in development. Twentieth Century Fox has not yet greenlighted the film, though they are working actively on the project with producers Imagine Entertainment. [click to continue…]
Kiefer Sutherland is asked by “Extra’s” AJ Calloway about the 24 movie and he says they hope to start filming in December or January. “It’s a very difficult thing to take something you’ve done for eight years, almost two hundred episodes, and try to find a story that’s going to be unique and yet service the history of the show as well,” Sutherland said.
Long-time 24 fan Chief (a.k.a @tvisgreat) attended the Gideon’s War book signing at Park Road Brooks in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight and got to ask the former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon why exactly Billy Ray’s 24 movie script was rejected:
Howard Gordon said the reason 20th Century Fox passed on the Billy Ray screenplay was because they felt like it was too much like an episode of the show only super-sized. They didn’t think there was enough of a reason for that script to get the film treatment rather than TV. [click to continue…]
Here’s something cool: Greg Ellis (24 Season 3 villain Michael Amador) will appear in Kiefer Sutherland’s new web series The Confession, premiering in March on Hulu. Here’s a promo still of them together (Kiefer plays a hit man).
The Confession was written and directed by Brad Mirman, who Kiefer collaborated with before on the film Truth or Consequences, N.M. back in 1997. Mykelti Williamson (24‘s Brian Hastings) also starred in that movie.
Here’s a lengthy (24 minute) live radio interview I recorded where TV Confidential interviews Howard Gordon, showrunner of 24 and the author of Gideon’s War.
Comparisons of the Gideon Davis and Jack Bauer characters come up, Howard shares his writing past, reveals what other writers and stories he was inspired by, they talk about Gregory Itzin (who was recognized by LA Times as one of TV’s top supporting characters in 2010) and Dennis Haysbert, Howard’s favorite episode of 24, his two television pilots, and briefly about the 24 movie.
Howard Gordon is interviewed by Newsday’s Verne Gay about his upcoming debut novel Gideon’s War, the 24 movie, and a possible Jack Bauer novel should the movie deal fall through. The interview also mentions a planned sequel to Gideon’s War, “Allegiance,” due out next year.
The ninth season of “24″ should have been starting just about now – except, of course, “24″ ended (sob . . . sob again) last year. There may be a “24″ movie someday, but in the meantime, bereaved fans may wish to consult “Gideon’s War,” a new novel by Howard Gordon, the show’s longtime executive producer. [click to continue…]
