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24 Showrunners Planned 12-Hour Gap For Season Seven!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
How was two hours of “24’s” seventh season supposed to be set in Africa? By breaking format.
The idea, since abandoned, was to start Jack Bauer in Africa for an episode or two, then skip 12 hours so Bauer could get back to the U.S. for the balance of the 24 hours.
From ifmagazine:
With all eyes on the show, [writer-producer Howard] Gordon admits that defining where Season 7 would go has been a constantly evolving process and involved the widely reported concept of setting it in Africa which would have changed the way the show looked and felt, but would have been too cost-prohibitive.
"The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn’t feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the iHop, I sat across [creators/executive producers] Joel [Surnow] and Bob [Cochran] and we all agreed this story wasn’t working and retooled it two weeks ago."
Another interesting excerpt:
As for where they ended up, Gordon says the current version should be called Season 7 – Version 3.0 (since this is the third permutation the show has taken in the past few weeks) and will likely begin at 7:00 a.m. East Coast time.
"The show picks up roughly three plus years later," says Gordon (even though technically, isn’t Bauer about 65 at this point?) "Time has a very metaphorical quality on 24. Even though it’s real time, the distance technically would be fifteen years older than when Kiefer started. We obviously don’t play it that way, it’s funny, even [Director/Executive Producer] Jon Cassar and I have a running argument that it’s actually 2015 on the show and that accounts for some of the science fiction conceits. But it really takes place in a nebulous, near future present. We have one of the most rigorously literal time things on a TV series, yet we are the most loose-jointed about it [in between seasons]."
Gordon also says the seventh season will likely be set entirely in the D.C. area (though still mostly shot in Los Angeles), Jack is now a freelancer, Marilyn Bauer likely won’t return, Charles Logan and Wayne Palmer probably aren’t dead, and the new U.S. president will be a David Palmer-esque good guy. As widely reported previously, Cherry Jones (the lawgal from “Signs”) will play the new commander-in-chief.
Read all of Anthony Ferrante’s excellent IF story on the matter here.
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"The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn’t feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the iHop, I sat across [creators/executive producers] Joel [Surnow] and Bob [Cochran] and we all agreed this story wasn’t working and retooled it two weeks ago."
"The show picks up roughly three plus years later," says Gordon (even though technically, isn’t Bauer about 65 at this point?) "Time has a very metaphorical quality on 24. Even though it’s real time, the distance technically would be fifteen years older than when Kiefer started. We obviously don’t play it that way, it’s funny, even [Director/Executive Producer] Jon Cassar and I have a running argument that it’s actually 2015 on the show and that accounts for some of the science fiction conceits. But it really takes place in a nebulous, near future present. We have one of the most rigorously literal time things on a TV series, yet we are the most loose-jointed about it [in between seasons]."
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I hope Jack kicks more ass this upcoming season. ___KNEEL___
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test
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instead of National Security.
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Season 6 had a good start but became boring towards the end...
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He can do no wrong in my eyes.
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Sorry but 24 jumped the shark years ago
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Since Target declared they were going to support Blu-ray, people have been reporting that HD is the new Betamax. Either way, I'm waiting for a clear winner in the format wars.
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24 definitely needs a reboot, and hopefully the change of scenery could help. Also, now DC people like me can be the whiners about the time it takes to get between two points.
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I love 24, but it's pretty hard to ignore how retarded this statement is, considering the show is so dependent on its "real time" format.
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Seriously. Why don't they just change the entire format of the show then?
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The new FOX show starring Keifer Sutherland.
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Good news: It won't be in LA. Bad news: It'll be in DC, so we'll have a ton of White House shenanigans again. [sarcasm]Super![/sarcasm]
Since it's in DC, there's still the opportunity for a 12-hour skip. Just have Jack get on the beltway at 6:30am, he'll be in his car for 12 hours. -
I've been saying for years they should make a prequel season dealing with Jack's special ops days (he even mentions a mission he went on in the first season). Film a day in the life of Jack Bauer during a war or something - THAT would kick ass. I also thought the last season should have been set in China (that's what I assumed would happen when we saw Jack being taken to China at the end of the fifth season), but alas, we got more of the same. Change things up people!
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"and the new U.S. president will be a David Palmer-esque good guy. As widely reported previously, Cherry Jones (the lawgal from “Signs”) will play the new commander-in-chief."
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I've always thought they should do a prequel season with an 11-year-old Kim, Jack & Terri happy again, and a newly-hired Nina joining CTU. I would watch that...
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They will pretend they are in DC while shooting in LA... That is a real shake-up... So we are still going to have CTU, we will still have the President and Jack is rogue, er, freelance...
The producers have been very defensive about last year and the criticism, which is a very bad sign. If they put their hands up and said 'Yeah, it didn't work, it was a season too far in the same theme and we should have shook it up, but just wait till you see what we have planned...', then I would have hopes, but as it is the only change is that after last season where it was 50% in LA and 50% in DC (or rather a Whitehouse set), now it will be 100% in DC, sort of... Do you think Fox is so cheap we will just get stock footage of DC with Bauer photoshopped in?
The real answer to the whole we need something different, but what about the format, is to do a special event TV movie prior to the season that sets up the coming season, but can happen months prior to it, so you can have fun and set it wherever you want, and do whatever you want. It would give Fox a nice extra ratings winner (plenty of people who struggle to watch 24 every single week and drift away, would still watch a one-off 2 hour TV movie with a plot and resolution) and if done well would help boost the ratings for the show itself as people tune in to find out what happened from the stuff the movie left hanging... -
Dammit.
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I don't know if a season set in LA posing as Washington DC is the answer. I have heard that they are looking to get a more personal storyline like in season one. Which is probably good. I'm tired of the generic Middle Eastern terrorist of the season. Last year started off so good with Jack vs. his family, but that dried up really quick with a poor payoff to us finding out that his brother was the shadowy figure behind the entire season five. Once they killed off Graem Bauer, last season went down hill when he should have been the season long villian. I think this show would benefit from a season of them trying to nuke another city and have Jack go mano amano (last year it would have been mano Dr. Romono if they made Graem the lead villiam, but I digress)with the bad guys like him vs. the Drazens in season one.
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with the three year gap.
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This show HAS to set itself outside the U.S. if it wants to go on much longer.
Last season could have been awesome had they done the full-blown, post-nuclear scenario. Instead, all we got was a single detonation in the distance and not even any real dealings with the aftermath. The show took the easy road last season, and it sucked because of it. The show started off so well -- those first 3 or 4 episodes were fantastic. It all went downhill after Kumar died.
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Seriously, let's bring back the GRAVITAS, can the gay-ass Chloe subplots, bad actresses, lame kids, Silver Spoons, Hilary Swank sloppy seconds, Jack's family, etc. 24 started backsliding into shit when a) they killed Tony and b) they killed Blackjack Bauer. Time to morph Jack into a TV Jason Bourne, possibly hunting down the leadership of a terrorist network overseas, picking them off one by one as a freelance black on black killing machine reporting directly to the President or some Conklin/Abbott CIA handler. No more CTU, no more LA and no more bullshit. GRAVITAS!
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These Hollywood types are always name dropping the cool restaurants they get to eat at. I bet this IHOP has all sorts of exotic, possibly international foods. Jeez the only thing more depressing would be "I was talking to the producers, face deep in a KFC bowl...".
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I also vote for the prequel, would be great to get back to basics. Perhaps hire some decent writers and not rehash the same old crap i.e. was interesting the first time in the show that the "baddies" attacked CTU, and maybe the second, but now its so common and rediculous it actually has no impact. Would be safer to walker down the streets of Baghdad draped in an American flag than work at CTU.
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Now I gotta find out what that was about!
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Also I have noticed is the premise and the scale of the seasons seems to become so much bigger each year (i.e. potential nuclear war last season), that by season 10 we could see Jack involved in fighting an intergalactic war... no doubt CTU security will be breached by an Alien who can change its appearance, the President will also be revealled to be an Alien and Kim will now be married to an Alien.
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but it sounds like more of the same. The show is about Jack Bauer. Who gives a rat's butt about CTU or anything going on in DC? All the characters they're going to add in are just going to be cookie cutter morons, a-holes, or Yes men, just like every other season. It doesn't have to be a big grand scale or have multiple double crosses and moles and disasters and other crap that just hasn't worked. Just make a good cat and mouse spy vs spy thriller. Keep it small, keep it simple. Please don't screw this up!
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I love how it was their idea to not go to Africa. Cuz that would have been cool. Instead, more LA! Hoorah!
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as "Don't Stop Believin'" blasts from the jukebox, and Jack attempts to parallel park...cut to black. UNNGH-PLOP. UNNGH-PLOP. UNNGH-PLOP>
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Jack's freelancer status. Everything else carries the familiar smell of 24, which turned into a stench last season. Looks the the rookie Heroes will probably graduate into a starting role this year as the old guy 24 tries to hang on too long.
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that would be cool: just like the present, except they have dogbots.
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Last year this talkback would have hit 100 posts already. Logan back -- OH BOY? Just another reason to bring back Jean Smart so she can pretend to be crazy in a really bad way and get another Emmy nod??? How did she get nominated anyways? She was awful.
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Jack will be fighting against the new Cylon threat, since they will inevitably find Earth next year. Hopefully Jack Bauer and Jack Shepphard from Lost will team up, and go on a rampage of ass-kickery like no one has witnessed before. Rumor has it that Vick Mackey will also be involved, and Stringer Bell will rise from the grave to mix things up, once the action moves into the Baltimore area. No word yet whether Sylar and Ben will be working with the Cylons or the good guys.
I WANT MY CORNERS! -
I can't wait until that happens.
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Damnit!
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He's gonna need a hacksaw. But they weren't invented yet.
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By the way, how is Logan still alive? I thought it was strange that after he "died", NO ONE mentioned him again. But what's the point of keeping him alive? Kill Curtis, but keep Logan?
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I assume that logan was re-born as africa is home of the dangerous new of puritanistic christanity which sweeping through that continent presently. So logan would have been "healed" and "cured". a typical scenario would have been this. jack goes to uganda, to investigate the scene of horrendous massacre purpertrated by the lords resistance army. Buaer tries to investigate. but this is blocked by the LRA's american supporters who want to setup a christan empire around the world. Bauer tries to prevent this. Bauer discovers that this is the real reason for the war on terror. Logan turns up and bauer gets killed or something. Logan plots to bring down cherry jones presidency. Pat Robertson becomes Chief of staff and VIce president. Were not going to get that. But it would be interesting if they take the story in this direction but with a twist. That a group of born again extremists merge with a group american neo nazis. They plan to bring down the us and they have infiltrated congress.
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Jack clones. There, I said it.
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makes me think the producers are a-holes. i like the show, but all this "real time isn't actually real time" bull shit just pisses me off. how are we supposed to buy into a real world when so much ridiculous shit was going on? i want to see a 24 season set in 2015.
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I'd like them to use the blowback themes again. I want to see more people mad at Bauer for shit he did in the CIA and shit.
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Whats the definition of blowback themes? New terms need education.
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at season three. 8PM, to be precise. The Salazar plot major twist (series' last good one) is revealed, and along came Milliken. Evil Bond sucked big time too (unleash a terrorist strike at the city your daughter lives in? WTF), and so Chappelle's stupid death. I mean, WHY THE FUCK didn't Evil Bond simply ordered the government to execute Jack Bauer? Oh right, he's stupid. Only two things could lead me into another 24 season 1) Zombie Nina 2) Terrorist commands Jack Bauer to fuck Kim in the ass in the name of the country, all exhibited in a graphical, multi angle, 5.1 surround audio scene (including Zombie Nina).
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Ending for Season six and why did they replace it with one which was so weak. rumours on this site suggested, that Jack would see a face from his past? all we got was jack staring at the sea. Weak!
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Is this thread. I laughed my ass off reading your comments!
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That's how you reboot 24. Jack Bauer fighting ninjas on the White House lawn. Hell, GW would let them film that on location. Course he would wreck a scene by running in and trying his own flying dragon kick, but whatcha gonna do?
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to get in touch with it's Republic serial roots, seriously. they should just steal the script for from The Crimson Ghost. "Atomic fiend holds the world for ransom" not exactly a new concept. even in the forties they knew that you need a shit-load of fist fights and car chases to keep people tuned in.
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