24 Logo Generic
24 Logo Generic

Rebooted “24” in Development as Female-Led Legal Drama

By 24 Spoilers , November 1st, 2017  ·  76 comments

EXCLUSIVE: Fox is developing a potential new incarnation of its Emmy-winning drama series that would have a female lead and take the real-time format of the terrorism-themed original and apply is to a different arena, criminal justice.

The project, which has received a script commitment, hails from 24 franchise executive producers Howard Gordon and Imagine’s Brian Grazer, as well as former The Killing writer-producer Jeremy Doner and the franchise’s production companies, 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TV. Doner will write the script with Gordon, who ran the original series.

Details about the premise are sketchy, but I hear that the potential new 24 series centers on a female prosecutor who uncovers a legal conspiracy and has to work against the clock to save a death row inmate facing imminent execution whom she had helped prosecute but may be innocent. I hear this is part of an anthological take on 24 that would tackle a new world with new characters each season.

Source Deadline

Related Topics ·  , 

Related Posts

Mary Lynn Rajskub Discusses Future of 24

By 24 Spoilers , January 5th, 2010

COUNTING THE HOURS: Mary Lynn Rajskub admits she isn’t sure how much more time the long-running Fox show “24” has left on the air. “I definitely think the end is in sight, but having said that, I don’t know if it’s going to be this year. I’m dying to know, but I think we’ll have…

24 Logo Generic

24 reboot in early development, no CTU

By 24 Spoilers , August 8th, 2017  ·  87 comments

During Fox’s TCA tour today, we learned a few small details about the next incarnation of 24 which is in the very early stages of development.

24 Logo Generic

FOX Passes on Both Potential “24” Series

By 24 Spoilers , February 6th, 2019  ·  50 comments

FOX has passed on both 24 series that were in development, and neither will be going forward to series. CEO Charlie Collier said they take the franchise “very seriously” and will only return “when we get it right.”

76 Comments

Comments Closed
JohnGormleyJG
November 1, 2017 at 2:27 pm
I don’t see Coto and Katz listed here…. This might be a good thing. I still respect the good they gave to 24 in its good days, but since they’ve been showrunners they can’t come up with a single original idea. Hopefully Howard Gordon will grow his brain cells back.

Justin
November 1, 2017 at 2:29 pm
They have other versions in development as well. One with Joel Surnow. Fox is developing all versions and will proceed with the one they like the best.

FelipeJack
November 1, 2017 at 10:07 pm
Apparently they seem to realized that Katz and Coto failured tragically with Legacy – the hole new spin-off with a new character along with a reused and maladpted plot from 17 years ago – Drazen it’s not dead thing. Come on, we all grown up by now. We see it coming from the beginning. And every else around isn’t solid enough.

Incredible it’s how people that created 24 and making it very solid – not a very long time ago, LAD was somehow solid , not 24’s best, but good enough – gave green light and put their names in several pathetic Legacy episodes.

Justin
November 1, 2017 at 2:28 pm
This has a very interesting take! So excited! Could be better than Legacy for sure and very fresh! And a new writer as well. I hear there are still other ideas in development as well.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:37 am
Here we go again…….wash, rinse, repeat.

Chlojack
November 1, 2017 at 2:29 pm
It will be interesting to see how this fairs in the ratings. Personally, I think the real time format has worn out it’s welcome.

Justin
November 1, 2017 at 2:30 pm
I think the real time format still has life. I think it could do better than Legacy. This is a very fresh idea

XAM
November 1, 2017 at 7:40 pm
LOL the real time concept is just about the only thing about 24 that hasn’t worn out its welcome, everything else sure as shit has!

Sebastian Monroe
November 1, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Sounds like they’re not willing to give up on the “real-time format” being the star of “24.” You would think that after the Legacy debacle, they would realize Jack Bauer, Tony Almeida, Chloe O’Brien, and other supporting cast members were the real stars.

Ironically the one idea that I thought would make for a fantastic send off was the “24: Prison Break” crossover used as last year’s April Fool’s Day prank. Alas, twas not to be.

Chlojack
November 1, 2017 at 2:41 pm
I really liked that idea too. :D

Justin
November 1, 2017 at 2:53 pm
That was a great idea. But after the failure of Legacy i think the real time format should be given a chance for other professions and new worlds and new characters rather than terrorism. Just my opinion. I like the Anthology idea. With this new fresh idea I can see a whole new audience maybe watching this IMO.

Louise Engel
November 3, 2017 at 1:11 am
I agree. The original characters and writing is what made it so strong. Not the real time. Legacy had that, and failed to deliver anything else, because there were no characters we cared about.

Gerry Mander
November 1, 2017 at 4:51 pm
Give it up guys, the ’24’ horse has barely any flesh left on it’s bones, you’ve flogged the poor mare to death, don’t desecrate it’s corpse as well… it’s over, let it rest in peace.

Kevin Tran
November 1, 2017 at 5:02 pm
The 24 franchise needs to end and Fox continues to be ignored by everything including us.

SharanRJ
November 1, 2017 at 5:51 pm
Least they’re trying a different arena with a fresh pair of eyes in the writing process.

Whether or not it works is another thing, though.

unlimited hate
November 1, 2017 at 8:26 pm
That’s not what the fans want, the fans want Bauer, Tony and a season 10.
These spin off crap are pointless.They already made this mistake with Legacy.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:33 am
Totally agree – but watching Kiefer in “Designated Survivor” (and recent TV interviews) reminds me that he’s not aging well and that reviving Jack may not only be difficult for him to pull off now but unrealistic and disappointing to us die-hards if it were to happen.

Sadly, I think the only answer for the ’24’ fix most of us have/get is to just binge-watch the 9 seasons…..

Chlojack
November 1, 2017 at 8:30 pm
My favorite comment on the 24 reboot:

From Deadline:
Jack Bauer • 6 hours ago
Enough already. Stop this crazy insanity. If you must do another 24 make it so Dana Walden and Gary Newman only have 24 hours to save their jobs and at the end they both get fired. That is the only new 24 worth watching.

FelipeJack
November 1, 2017 at 10:01 pm
It looks the classic 24 fans really want classic 24, Jack, season 10.

But it also looks the people behind 24 want to do something else- maybe because of Kiefers’ prior decline to be back and now his current schedule with Designated Survivor.

The only thing for sure is that: do NOT call this new whatever it is 24 – because it has absolutely nothing to do with 24. This isn’t a 24 reboot; this is a cretion of a new show that uses real-time. Maybe it turns out to be a great new show with many seasons. Still, it’s not just 24.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:57 am
I hope that the FOX execs and any producers from the ’24’ original productions have at least a modicum of common sense that, while they can use the ticking clock within the show, branding the title of the series with any remote references to ’24’ in it would be utterly stupid and self-destructive – doing so would only invite the avalanche of comparisons and assumptions that it’s related to the Bauer stories.

A
November 2, 2017 at 6:06 am
While I’m glad 24 is staying on television, I really wish they would properly conclude Jack’s story before airing the reboot. Because flying him to Russia where god knows what is happening to him is a very unsatisfying ending, the producers should use this opportunity to finish off the original series with a feature film where Jack dies (that’s right, I said it) so that fans have proper closure before they can get absorbed into the new show. With that said, I’m still looking forward to this reboot and I hope it will be able to fill the original’s shoes, and also find a female lead worthy to be Sutherland’s successor.

Jack Power
November 2, 2017 at 12:06 pm
This is what happened to the 24 franchise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldZTqwRpFbk&t=2m54s

Jack Bauer as the TV show 24

Cheng Zhi as Fox

I don’t know how a Legal Drama will fit at all in 24, But it will be good if they do the female prosecutor as an Ex CIA agent, Kate Morgan. But they probably won’t do it.

I would like to see a season with Kate Morgan as the lead and with Tony Almeida and Chloe O’Brian.

Louise Engel
November 3, 2017 at 1:12 am
Yes, Kate Morgan!

The Predictor
November 2, 2017 at 1:35 pm
The issue is still going to be that most ’24’ fans only want to watch ’24’ if it includes Jack, Tony, Chloe, etc. I still consider ’24’ as my all-time favorite show because I felt that seasons 1-5 were fantastic as a whole. However over the past few years, I have become a ‘cable snob’ and don’t enjoy watching shows on network TV because network TV shows in general have dumbed down plots with uninteresting characters. If I want to watch a well thought out show with excitement, suspense, and a good plot, I’ll turn to HBO, Showtime, FX, and AMC. I’m still fine with the ’24’ format, but I need for ’24’ to raise its bar to be more like Homeland, Fargo, Breaking Bad, The Americans, etc.

Hank
November 2, 2017 at 4:46 pm
Homeland post whiny family drama I hope haha

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:54 am
Well said – I’m in the same boat. About the only network show I even bother with is Kiefer’s and it’s not really that strong as I wish it were or near the drama/storywriting of ‘Homeland’

Hank
November 2, 2017 at 4:52 pm
Sooooooooooo stupid. They should stop trying to remake the wheel, while failing at that. This has been done to death. Now they just take the real time format, which they have gotten very very lazy with in the past season especially, and add it to it. Dozens of shows and movies have done this plot. Things have been done every which way, so nothing much, if anything, is ever truly original, but this sounds paint by numbers. And they proved with their failed attempt last time that the fans want characters they know, which means this stupid new cast, new scenario thing is going to probably fail again. They should have had Kate lead the show if they wanted a female lead or have had Tony lead the show if they wanted otherwise. And kicked those crummy show runners to the curb. Instead we got the trash we did and now they are trying to produce more of it.

Russian Hackers
November 2, 2017 at 9:28 pm
They should look at Strike Back for living proof that you can reinvent the wheel.

Season 1 was dark and depressing and it had only one protagonist.

Season 2 rebooted the show because lead actor couldn’t participate. So there were two protagonists, tonal shift to buddy movie mood and world wide locationa. It worked so well that the show lived for 4 seasons.

Now it’s rebooted again with the new cast, but I didn’t saw it yet.

Morals: original series were happening around Jack Bauer. You can’t just change lead character and resurrect CTU for the 3rd time. Make a group of equally lead characters, forget about russians/arabs as enemies for once, nuclear/biohazard threat were used several times – that’s enough already. Go crazy, invent new enemy, invent new threat, invent lead characters that are not Jack Bauer bland copies.

I think that legal drama is a good start, but it would work better as a part of bigger plot with this woman just one of several protagonists with different specialties.

Big Boss
November 4, 2017 at 5:02 pm
Yes, this, I’ve said a million times Strike Back is exactly the model they should be looking to for inspiration. And quite honestly after rewatching some old seasons 24 does *not* hold up nearly as well as i thought it did just a few years ago, outside of the production value, Kiefer, and maybe a dozen truly great supporting actors/characters. Strike Back is basically everything that was good about 24 and virtually none of the bad, and lately I find myself more and more okay with the thought of it being over.

If they actually go through with this anthology crap that basically closes the book on ever going back to Jack/Tony etc. anyway. I wish to God Kiefer hadn’t gotten stuck on that fucking TERRIBLE designated shitting show but that’s the breaks. Maybe it’s for the best.

Justin
November 3, 2017 at 6:32 pm
I wonder if It’s possible that the inmate the prosecutor put away could be Jack Bauer in a Russian Prison and the prosecutor who put him away learns a conspiracy with the Russians that Jack maybe innocent so she has to save him from execution. That would not require Kiefer full time and he would only guest starr there and could still do Designated Survivor and music. So maybe that’s how it could connect to 24

X
December 17, 2017 at 2:40 pm
That would be awesome!!!!!!

Justin
November 3, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Btw I still email back and forth with Howard Gordon and he answered some more questions for me on the reboot! Here are the Questions and answers:

Hi Howard,

A lot of fans are excited about the news of the Pilot script commitment by Fox.

Some Questions:

1. How did you guys come up with the idea of a legal thriller?

We’d been considering a variety of arenas/franchises, and Jeremy came in with the pitch regarding a death row inmate.

2. Will the new 24 has connection to the original 24? Kate Morgan or Chloe should be the female lead.

Possibly, but no plans as of now.

3. Are there other versions in development? Are Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran involved?

There are no active plans, but we continue noodling ideas since we intend this to be anthological. Joel and Bob are involved – though only as much as their schedule and interest permits.

4. Is the hope to have the script submitted to Fox in time for Pilot season in January 2018?

Hopefully, but we’ll let this take as much time as it needs to get right.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:52 am
2. Will the new 24 has connection to the original 24? Kate Morgan or Chloe should be the female lead.

Possibly, but no plans as of now

Ummmm…..like a prosecutor is created and the entire season is devoted to her efforts to legally free Jack from prison before he is executed by Russian government?

God help us….

Big Boss
November 4, 2017 at 6:09 am
You’re a fucking pathetic shill and a liar, Justin.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 12:48 am
The legal drama of a single “hero” attorney (be it a prosecutor or defender) that is compelled by virtue, principle and/or guilt to save some innocent, wronged soul has been done before as has the inmate on death row awaiting execution with the clock ticking down as the context. The ticking 24-hour clock concept was so compelling in the Bauer series because the urgency of something imminent about to happen that would kill millions in form of terrorism – and the ‘life or death’ magnitude fit on a greater scale. I can’t see how the Fox producers think applying the same format used in plots involving a national / international terrorist incidents to a single capital crime case with one life at stake will work. If anything, I suspect that the ticking time-clock will end up feeling like a gimmick-turned-satire, similar to the comic parodies that were made of action films (i.e the ‘Airplane’, Will Farrell and Mel Brooks movies).

If the Fox premise sounds intriguing to anyone, they should rent the Clint Eastwood movie “True Crime” – same plotline racing against time.

Joshua
November 4, 2017 at 4:33 am
Might as well just call it 24 laws ?? but seriously kiefer wanted out cause he claimed jack Bauer sounds like a quote mad comic? he insulted his own show because now he’s on a different show. & this sounds suspenseful to the fans. This is basically law& order which is already a series. & there are two places u can find those kinda stories already law & order & the news. If there not going to give the fans what they want just kill 24 already then. Anyhow there are other shows that are great right now since 24 got ruined…..

Big Boss
November 4, 2017 at 6:24 am
When someone described this to me the other day I honestly thought they were taking the piss. It’s almost comical how bad an idea this is.

I mean I guess kudos for coming up with something “different” from old 24, but there are a million and one milquetoast legal dramas on TV that have done this exact premise. Outside of that, the only way anthology series work is with incredibly strong character writing and these clowns do not have it in them. Based on what I saw of the Killing neither does Jeremy to be honest.

Guess I’ll be waiting to see Surnow’s pitch. Honestly they should just let it die at this point if Kiefer can’t be in it, I’d prefer that over another embarrassing flop (what this will be)

XAM
November 4, 2017 at 8:46 am
Objection your honour!

Female leads are shit.

TJ
November 4, 2017 at 10:19 am
Exception being “Homeland”

Trevor
November 5, 2017 at 1:24 am
Oh this isn’t sexist

Justin
November 4, 2017 at 12:33 pm
IMHO the fact that Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran are involved with the 24 reboot is a good sign. I mean they were the original co creators of the franchise who made 24 at its best. I think they would know what it would take to reboot 24 since they came up with the format and idea. They are involved with Howard, Brian and Fox. I like how they brought in a fresh new writer, Jeremy. I also think it was a good move that they got rid of Manny and Evan. So at least they are making it fresh and giving it a dramatic change which is what the series needs IMO. The terrorism angle of 24 got boring after 10 seasons and became repetitive. Me personally, I love the idea of 24 being applied to other venues and it being turned into an Anthological format. I think the producers not being limited in what they can develop is cool cuz when you are not limited your biggest creative thoughts start to flow. I think it will have a mix of action and emotional story that still reflects what is going on in today’s society.

Let’s be honest too, they are just writing the script, so the details of the story are only vague and sketchy. We don’t know the full plot until the Pilot script is all done.

These are just my opinions and my personal feelings and views. I understand others will have their own different opinions and views, which I respect. No opinions are right or wrong.

Gerry Mander
November 4, 2017 at 2:34 pm
Weren’t you the one praising Legacy to the rooftops during it’s run, saying it was fresh and brilliant, ratings would recover, and people would eventually come around to it???

Whatever, keep taking the meds dude, they’ll kick in one of these days… probably around the time HoGo’s lawyers serve you with a restraining order!

I like HoGo, he seems to be one of the good and decent guys in Hollywood by all accounts, but he needs to know that he’s systematically destroying ’24’s legacy (no pun intended) by keeping it on life support long after it’s reach it’s natural end.

Jake
November 4, 2017 at 7:48 pm
yep he is the same dude

Chlojack
November 4, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Just imagine if this really becomes an anthology franchise….

Season 1: 24: Law & Order
Season 2: 24 :True Crime
Season 2: 24: Zombie Apocalypse
Season 4: 24: Time Travel
Season 5: 24: Horror Story

(Maybe Kiefer would come back before they get to the Zombie one).

Niskey
November 6, 2017 at 3:50 pm
As someone who considers 24 to be their favorite show, I’m very disappointed with this new idea Fox is throwing around and hopes it gets canned before pre-production.

24: Legacy wasn’t my favorite season but I could get over it because it was at least more of the same, (which isn’t nearly as bad as this new idea by Fox.) I was even willing to be a little open minded with a new idea with the real time format, (maybe a cop show like Blue Bloods, The Shield, or NYPD Blue but with 24’s real time format?) But this is where I draw the line.

Probably will try the new series out if it’s made but can’t guarantee I’ll finish it, and there’s no doubt it will fail regardless.

SharanRJ
November 6, 2017 at 5:36 pm
It’s clear that FOX wants to push the fact that the real-time aspect is the star of the show. Hell, every episode of Legacy had the ‘Events Occur in Real Time’ title card.

Even the finale, which had a time jump!

TINY
November 7, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Should have never killed Renee…

Milo
November 9, 2017 at 2:48 pm
I heard that fox is out on the market and that maybe other studio like Disney or any other is about to bought it with all rights to movies series etc.. this may be a good sign if it is not complete hoax.. I’ve read it on the internet u know…

Majority here is right. It won’t be 24 anymore . Even legacy wasn’t.. it can be a good series though in “real time” .. I doubt though… tv networks like fox nbc abc etc. don’t know how to do the shows anymore. God bless Netflix hbo and showtime

Gurtej
November 10, 2017 at 2:42 am
Bring Back Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer

TJ
November 11, 2017 at 12:50 am
Hate to admit this but I think we can all give up on that dream – sadly. Aside from his “Designated Survivor” series that doesn’t show any signs of flopping anytime soon or being canceled, he’s spending his free time between acting with a music career supporting an album and tour. Watching Kiefer on a recent hour-long interview with Dan Rather, he talked about ’24’ in the past tense as the “greatest 9 years of my life” but definitely sounded like he’s loving the music career balanced with a much simpler acting role. His age and effects of his lifestyle when he was younger also definitely shows – I just don’t believe he wants to go through the kind of physical demands anymore that the Bauer role asked of him.

Like I said, the only cure for the fix diehards have for more Jack is to binge-watch the 9 seasons worth of DVDs………it was great while it lasted but all good things sadly come to an end at some point or another.

eman
November 12, 2017 at 7:24 am
Justin’s opinion is worthless and he is just a pathetic troll.

This legal reboot of 24 will fail miserably.

Sebastian Monroe
November 12, 2017 at 10:32 am
Anyone see the news that Kim Raver will be appearing on Kiefer’s new show Designated Survivor?

TJ
November 12, 2017 at 8:48 pm
Not surprising, given how many other former ’24’ alumni have appeared on the show thus far:

– Kal Penn (Achmed from S2) has been Press Secretary, Seth Wright, from the series’ start.
– Geoff Pierson (President Keeler from S3-S4) has been Secretary of State Cornelius Moss since last season.
– Reed Diamond (Jason Pillar from S8) has been FBI director John Forstell since late last season.
– Mikelti Williamson (Brian Hastings from S8) played Admiral Chernow this season.

There have been a few other familiar faces in one-off appearances – which is similar to Kiefer’s last series, “Touch”, that also had a few other former ’24’ alumni make appearances (including Penn). As a producer on all 3 shows, Kiefer obviously has some input on casting and is loyal to former colleagues he’s worked with during the ’24’ run.

TJ
November 18, 2017 at 12:23 am
Another face from S8 appeared in “DS” on the 11/15 episode – T.J. Ramini (Tarin) played a Turkish professor seeking asylum in the US.

Never noticed it before but Sean Callery is doing the music background for “DS” as well…..

Big Boss
November 27, 2017 at 1:29 am
Who cares, seriously. That show is such a preachy contrived piece of garbage, and a complete waste of Kiefer’s talents. Good for him that he landed another steady paycheck I guess, but it infuriates me to know that *any* resolution of Jack Bauer is guaranteed to never happen now because of it.

X
December 17, 2017 at 2:49 pm
Kal Penn was in Season 6.

Milo
November 17, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Is there actually any other good tv show from fox than original 24?

Trevor
November 17, 2017 at 1:52 pm
Prison Break, The Simpsons, Married… With Children, The X-Files, King of the Hill, Arrested Development, The Mindy Project, New Girl, In Living Color…

Trevor
November 17, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Dana Walden has left Fox

Trevor
November 17, 2017 at 8:05 pm
Never mind, I believe I misunderstood the article. She’s joining the Hulu board of directors but doesn’t mean she’s leaving her position with Fox

Jack Power
November 17, 2017 at 4:39 pm
If Disney will buy Fox, will they change the content of their TV shows?

And can they replace the writers or producers of any TV show at Fox or put there agenda in the shows?

Trevor
November 17, 2017 at 7:54 pm
The deal that was reported to be in talks is said to be dead now, but it did not include Fox Broadcasting anyway.

Hank
November 26, 2017 at 8:28 pm
It could never anyway as Disney already owns ABC so they can’t have Fox network.

Joshua
December 8, 2017 at 5:11 am
24 is destroyed end of story.???

Trevor
December 14, 2017 at 9:54 am
Jack Bauer is now a Disney character.

Big Boss
December 14, 2017 at 11:08 am
Is it too much to hope that this is now dead after the Disney acquisition?

Trevor
December 14, 2017 at 11:10 am
Maybe Disney can bring Kiefer back

SharanRJ
December 14, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Disney already has Kiefer, as ABC Studios which produces Designated Survivor, is owned by them.

Jack Power
December 15, 2017 at 9:36 am
The second season of Designated Survivor is boring and bad so Disney should cancel this show and bring back 24 with Jack Bauer.

They bought Fox for 52.4 Billions, so bringing back 24 for another season that cost 50-60 Millions is nothing for them – if they want it back they can do it easily.

X
December 17, 2017 at 2:53 pm
Hmmm.

A 24 movie looks realistic now.
The only reason that didn’t happen before was that Fox movie studios didn’t want to pay the budget.

Not that I want a 24 movie because a series is way better.
And they used their movie idea for Live Another Day.

Chlojack
December 14, 2017 at 12:25 pm
Hope the 24 reboot will be scrapped.

The True Form
December 29, 2017 at 1:17 pm
If you’re going to reboot 24, please have 24 episodes.

This 12 episode thing and then skipping to the 24th hour is pure baloney and doesn’t work at all. We need to see everything.

Brent
January 6, 2018 at 8:18 am
A bit late, but the thing they need to leave behind if they reboot again are the same holy cliches they keep reusing every season that we can sense coming a mile away. There’s always a mole, always a selfish idiot getting the macguffin into the hands of the bad guys, always a series of time wasting diversions. They refuse or are unable to deviate from these same tropes, so they keep bringing them out even with a new cast and premise.

Ideally, they should bring Jack back and change it up by having the new element be a plot they HAVEN’T used before, like not have his goal always two inches away from his grasp and then thwarted by Lucy pulling the football away, before it’s finally resolved in two minutes in the final hour.

CANICHE
January 27, 2018 at 3:06 pm
WTF?! We (as in pretty much everyone who has seen 24 or the show I just mentioned) already have Ally McBeal, we don’t need this.

STALYN CACHI
July 12, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Cansu Dere she is the one to turn the new story of 24

Pat Waters
October 8, 2018 at 5:58 am
This sounds too similar to PRISON BREAK, So NO I’m not watching something that has nothing to do with 24