Fox is rebooting 24, but longtime series star Kiefer Sutherland won't be a part of it.
EW reports that Fox has ordered a pilot for a reboot they are calling 24: Legacy, and that the show will have an all-new cast of characters. It will put the focus on two leads, rather than one Jack Bauer-esque character doing all the work. Producers are said to be seeking an African-American male for the lead part, to be joined by a female co-lead.
The show will revolve around a military hero returning home, only to find that trouble follows him back. He seeks out the help of a Counter-Terrorism Unit in order to stop what could potentially be one of the most devastating terror attacks in U.S. history.
"It's a new CTU, a new cast of characters," Fox Television Chairwoman and CEO Dana Walden says. "It's a completely different story in terms of the special ops groups that we're focusing on. It's a very contemporary feeling story about the potential to activate new sleeper cells in the United States and radicalizing Americans. It's a whole new story. There are nods in the pilot to prior CTU agents, there are a couple photos that will feel reminiscent of the original, but no ongoing [returning] characters."
24: Legacy will, however, follow the same format of the original series, with each episode representing an hour of a given day and featuring split screens and interweaving storylines.
"There's also a female co-lead who is a former head of CTU," Walden says. "It doesn't feel like it is fully replicating the original in terms of how much Jack Bauer carried by himself, but it's a very prominently featured lead."
It remains to be seen how fans will respond to this new show. Sutherland as Bauer defined the series for many. Without him, it will be curious to see if this reboot can come close to the original's popularity.
