“24: Legacy” is no reboot, the show’s executive producers insist, and while they’re currently focused on telling a new story with Corey Hawkins’ Eric Carter, they’re not ruling out the possibility of revisiting Jack Bauer or other old favorites in the course of the new series.
“This is an expansion of the ’24’ universe, not a reboot – Jack and Chloe are still out there,” pointed out exec producer Manny Coto. “This is a window into the ’24’ universe from a new perspective,” in the same world as that inhabited by Kiefer Sutherland’s iconic character. “You never know when those worlds might intersect.”
Exec producer Evan Katz agreed that “there might be an intersection with existing characters down the line,” but right now they’re focusing on the new group of characters, and making sure the audience forms a bond with them. That roster includes Miranda Otto’s former head of the CTU Rebecca Ingram and her husband, Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits).
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Hawkins describes his character as “a new hero for a new day. He has his flaws and over the course of the season, he’s going to be forced to make a lot of morally questionable choices. He’s a solider and the rules of engagement are different on the homeland, and he struggles with that internally. He’ll have to reckon with that, protecting his home, his family, and his responsibilities to his country.”
The show will stick to the same format fans have come to know and love over 12 episodes, with the show taking place in real time over the course of 24 hours, utilizing a time jump at some point during the season.
As for whether the show will return to Jack Bauer’s story, Coto admitted that “anything is possible,” but there are no immediate plans for a continuation of the storyline of “Live Another Day.”
“We felt like the London series with Kiefer was a momentary punctuation point for that character,” he added. “Our plan right now is to tell this story, and I think all of us really want to finish that story, but we also love this new and exciting version of it.”