Michael Madsen joins 24 cast as ex-military from Bauer’s past

When you need a bad-ass, who better to call than Michael Madsen, who has played that role so well in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Thelma & Louise, Kill Bill and Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (er…scratch that last one)? Now, the much sought-after 52-year-old has been cast on Fox’s 24 as Jim Ricker, a character sources describe to me as an ex-military guy from Jack Bauer’s past. Meaning, of course, a bad-ass.

Ricker will pop up as the clock ticks toward the final hours of Day Eight, which is looking more and more like Jack’s last day on TV before he heads to the movies.

Although it wasn’t mentioned in the article, I know Madsen has been filming 24 since February. There’s a recent photo of him on the set here. Could Ricker’s ex-military roots tie into the Operation Nightfall mission perhaps? Whatever the case may be, Michael Madsen should be a pretty cool addition to 24 – Madsen has played some great villains in the past.