FOX Considering New 24 Season Without Jack Bauer

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The 24 franchise may indeed continue on FOX... but without the man who's always been at the center of it, at least for now. At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today, recently appointed FOX CEOs/Chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman were asked about the possibility of more 24, following 2014's limited series 24: Live Another Day. Said Newman, "We have no current plans although we're in discussions with the creative team there. We would love nothing more than to do another 24."

However, during the post-panel scrum with a smaller group of journalists, Walden revealed that the future of 24 could be one without the central character of Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland - though there would be room for him to return.

"We're thinking 2016 [for the debut]," Walden said when asked when they aiming to bring the series back.

Adding, "We heard a really great pitch for the series. Howard [Gordon], Evan [Katz], and Manny [Coto] are all very busy working on development right now. And we don't want to rush it. 24 is a series where we've really taken our time with to develop it. We didn't want it to be a business agenda, or a development agenda. We want to make sure that the time is right and the story is right. And we were so happy with the last [return to television]. It set such a high bar."

Series star Kiefer Sutherland has notably said that he's currently not necessarily interested in returning for another (even short) season, however. When asked if FOX felt that the show could move forward without him, Walden said, "We have discussed this with him, we talk to Keifer all the time. He's a great creative partner. It's a possibility that he won't be in this installment, but he's very supportive."

"We're not talking about continuing the show without him," she elaborated. "We're talking about whether there is one installment that he's not in. And I think if the storytelling is exciting enough with the real-time element that that show really owns. So many of the production elements that that show really owns. I look at so many of the surrounding elements around Keifer in that last installment and I think it can work. There is a point where Jack Bauer could come into this story and there is a way that this could be the one installment without him."

We will keep you updated as details emerge.

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