FOX Developing 24 Prequel Series

24 could soon be returning to televisions with a prequel series starring a young Jack Bauer. Get ready to start hearing that ticking clock once again.

According to Variety, the series is in a very early stage of development, with creators Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran working along with showrunner Howard Gordan. FOX has yet to release any official statement on the matter however.

As this is obviously a prequel series with a younger Jack Bauer, Keifer Sutherland’s return is most likely out of the question. Sutherland’s most recent reprising of the role was in 24: Live Another Day, which served as a season 9 of the series that ended four years previously. However, he did not return for the spinoff series, 24: Legacy. That series starred Corey Hawkins in the role of Eric Carter, and was not renewed for a second season.

For the uninitiated, the basic premise of 24 involves episodes that unfold in real time with an hour per episode, putting (mostly) each season at 24 episodes. However, the spinoff shows 24: Live Another Day and 24: Legacy did not follow this pattern. Both those shows instead cut the season in half with 12 episodes each. This was likely to keep a stronger and more focused narrative throughout, as many of the seasons suffered from an overstretching of plot and too many filler episodes where not much happened.

FOX Television CEO Dana Walden has discussed bringing 24 back albeit in a new way, by applying it to different genres. At the time, she had spoken with the show’s producers and confirmed they had a really exciting idea but that it was in very early stages. It is likely this rumored show is what they have been deliberating on since then.

It is interesting to see what will become of the proposed show, as Disney is slowly making its way through the legalities of acquiring all of FOX’s movie and television programming assets by 2019.