Can Kiefer Sutherland Bring 24 To The Big Screen?

Even though the series was about to air before the horrific events that incited the war on terror, FOX's television show "24" is a five-season phenomenon that embodies the new millennium’s state of the world and embraces a harsher and more shocking reality. The driving force behind the success of "24" is that it offers us hope in the form of a hero, Kiefer Sutherland's character, Jack Bauer. Jack is not a superhero, but he sure survives like one. That doesn't mean he doesn't fail, hurt, or cry though. He's been through five long days (each season is 24 hours, taking place in real time), and FOX just signed him up for another three.

With "24" creating an unprecedented demand for serial television, this trailblazing drama about a Counterterrorist Unit in Los Angeles has received mass critical-acclaim and a devoted fan following with its audacity and ability to shock even the most seasoned viewers. More than that, FOX has made a deal with Kiefer Sutherland that promotes him to executive producer status and raises him to distinguished heights of television actor status, including his own production company on the FOX lot. Expanding into new media is a logical next step, and with the "24" video game still fresh on store shelves, FOX is clearly aiming to attack the viable market while the day is still young.

It’s only natural that talk of a movie would arise. Sutherland is addressing it as an extremely tentative possibility, but this may be simply a precaution to keep any early ideas from leaking out and to err on the side of caution in case the promise of bringing "24" to theaters becomes one the studio has to break. ComingSoon.net posted this quote from Sutherland as he emphasized that nothing is definite; "If we were going to do it, we would do it next summer. It's still a big 'if.' We would not go forward unless we thought we could do it right."

While the intention is to film during summer hiatus to give the masterminds behind "24" time to do the series justice in its leap to the big screen, the concerns about it not being translatable from its born format of 24 one-hour episodes are still there. If they try to squeeze their usual jam-packed day into a two-hour movie that parts with its signature real-time formula, they may lose a major edge and perhaps even one of the inadvertent stars of the show, the ticking and thunderous clock.

In the meantime, opening on April 21st, Sutherland’s movie with Michael Douglas "The Sentinel" draws strong parallels to "24" and its usual themes and subject matter, and that may be as close to theaters as anything resembling Jack Bauer gets for Kiefer Sutherland. But, Sutherland is keeping his plate empty for the upcoming summer hiatus due to expectations of having a filming schedule for "24" the movie during that time next year. Judging by his actions rather than his uncertain words, he seems to have faith that the project will go into production as planned, and that’s good enough for me.