During the Fox executive session at the Summer TCA press tour, we learned a few small details about the planned reboot of 24 which is currently in the early stages of development. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s probably going to be very different
Fox Entertainment president David Madden said “The next version of 24 will probably not be CTU, American counterintelligence. We want to take that same sort of ticking clock, incredible urgency and apply it to something else. It will have same style and urgency but in a different venue.”
Besides moving away from CTU, it appears that they might ditch the terrorism aspect entirely.
“The idea I’m excited about currently is not [an end-of-the-world story],” said Fox TV chairman Dana Walden. “Partly what is exciting, we’re opening up the possibility of it being anything. Anything where that 24-hour clock hits at the most critical period in a story. I don’t want to limit them that it should only be an action-oriented show. Maybe not. Maybe it’s emotional action. But we’re keeping the opportunity for them to keep their thoughts open.”
Fun fact: the initial concept for 24 was centered around the 24 hours leading up to a wedding.
Joel Surnow is back
Co-creator Joel Surnow is returning to 24 after a nearly ten year absence. Surnow stepped down as showrunner after the fourth season and eventually left the series entirely during the seventh season in order to pursue other projects. Neither 24: Live Another Day nor 24: Legacy enticed him to return to the writers room, so his involvement here is perhaps the best indication that they’re attempting something creatively different.
Two versions are being developed
According to Deadline, there are actually two different ideas for the upcoming reboot, with Joel Surnow writing one version and Howard Gordon working on another version alongside other (unnamed) writers.
Deadline reports that Fox “may put the two ideas on parallel tracks, developing both, with one of the projects possibly going to pilot before the official pilot season next year.”
It’s still early
The Fox executives emphasized that it’s very early in the creative process. Many of these details can (and probably will) change over the next few months. But it’s clear that Fox wants to extend the life of the 24 franchise further and are open to experimenting with new ideas.
Here are all the various articles written about the news: Deadline, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, TV Guide, SlashFilm, Screen Rant, and Cinema Blend.