Fans of Fox's "24" and TV critics have long claimed that the show looks like a feature film. Now it looks as though it's finally going to be one. There has been on-again/off-again talk for years that "24" would make the jump to the big screen. Variety now reports Twentieth Century Fox's feature film division has has hired screenwriter Billy Ray ("State of Play," "Flightplan") to pen the script for the feature version.
Ray's pitch, which takes Jack Bauer to Europe, was a hit with Fox execs as well as producers of the high-concept television series. Ray also wrote and directed "Breach" and "Shattered Glass."
Kiefer Sutherland, who stars as counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer and is an executive producer of the show, is reportedly anxious to convert the property into a feature film franchise. There is speculation that this may be the final season for "24," although Fox executives are waiting to see the ratings for this week's episode before making a decision on renewing the series for a ninth season, according to Variety.
And even if the Fox network were to pass on another season, 20th Century Fox TV could shop the show to another network, which might delay production of a feature. The film studio would want to move most of the "24" series crew to work on the film, difficult to do while "24" is in production, and hiatuses aren't nearly long enough to shoot a movie. The show's producers did take advantage of the writers strike to make a TV movie, "24: Redemption," which aired prior to the show's seventh season in 2008, and which was nominated for five Emmys.
The show's title refers to the fact that the show takes place in real time. The twenty-four episodes aired each season make up a single day in the life of the beleaguered hero Jack Bauer, who takes more physical and emotional punishment than any other hero on television. Whether or not the real time premise (although the show notoriously cheats, moving characters cross town in major cities during the span of a single commercial break) would be utilized in a feature hasn't been announced.
"24" has also been a mammoth hit for the studio in foreign markets, which suggests that a feature adaptation would travel well. The success of the recently canceled "Sex and the City" as a feature film also has to have execs thinking.
Comments
I would go to the movies with Kiefer Sutherland. He's such an awesome guy. His biograpy, "Kiefer Sutherland: Living Dangerously" makes him seem a bit wild, but also very honest. Check it out on amazon.com
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