Kiefer Sutherland Open to More '24' "If Someone Comes Up with a Great Idea"

He says the show is "one of the most dynamic experiences I've ever had"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Aug 6, 2020

The years since 24 left the air have seen Kiefer Sutherland add to his film and television resume, kickstart a country music career and take Doug Ford to task, but the Canadian actor isn't entirely ruling out a return to screens as Jack Bauer.

In an interview with Forbes, Sutherland expressed how he has "always left the door slightly ajar for 24 if someone comes up with a great idea." While he didn't star as Bauer in 2017 spinoff 24: Legacy, Sutherland worked on the title's lone season as an executive producer.

"As an actor, 24 remains one of the most dynamic experiences I've ever had," Sutherland said of his time in the leading role. "Where a character was allowed to have such highs and lows in such a fast period of time is a gift."

"There are very few setups that will allow you to do that, and I find that incredibly fun, challenging, and exciting," he continued of the show. "There's been nine seasons, and I think it rests in a credible place. The difficulty is you don't ever want to do anything that is going to damage that."

Sutherland added that any future involvement in a new incarnation of 24 would depend on the writing. "Honestly, the form more 24 would take doesn't matter to me as much as the quality of the story," he explained. "If someone comes up with a great story that can be told in two hours, then we're going to make a movie, but if someone comes up with a great story that could be 24 hours, we'll do the show."

After 24: Legacy was cancelled in 2017, it was reported that Fox and producers Howard Gordon and Brian Grazer would develop a new incarnation of 24 that would be "more anthological, while still built around the real-time storytelling device."

Sutherland's mother, Canadian actress and activist Shirley Douglas, passed away this past April. You can read his complete interview with Forbes here.

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