The TV landscape is more crowded than ever, but that hasn't stopped Fox from revealing that it intends to bring 24 back to the small screen once again.
The network revealed that it was developing a prequel series to the action drama last year, a Jack Bauer origin story focused on his "early days".
Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the original creators, are looking after the script – and Howard Gordon, who was an executive producer on the first season, is also involved.
So, what's cooking? Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn recently gave fans a rare update about the show's status.
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"We are wide open," he said at the TCA summer press tour (via Deadline). "The process is in very early stages. There is nothing formal yet; we are still having discussions with 20th Century Fox TV and the producers on a way to come up with some other incarnation.
"There is a really strong desire to crack it, we are still talking about it."
He added: "However we build the franchise, it has got to feel big, eventised and all the creators and producers involved have to feel really excited about that direction and that we all feel we've got the right script."
Related: Here's what the 24 prequel series featuring Jack Bauer might be about
And Fox entertainment CEO Charlie Collier previously echoed that sentiment at the TCA winter press tour earlier this year.
"The power of these franchises is not to be toyed with, and 24 was an iconic moment in television, and when and if we bring it back, it will be because the creators and writers feel like they have the right story to tell, they can honour the franchise and the studio and the network feel the same way," he said (via Deadline).
"I'd be very open to working with Howard and everyone else but nothing new to report."
Any reluctance to bring back the franchise without being fully sold on every aspect of the new "incarnation" feels understandable given past mistakes.
![24 - Season 1-9 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1565351254-51TfKkw3INL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "24 - Season 1-9 [DVD]")
But it seems the prequel spin-off is still very much in the development stage, according to Deadline.
So, what can you expect? We've made some educated guesses so you don't have to.
24 season 10 cast: Who's playing Jack Bauer?
If this is a prequel set in Jack's younger days, we wouldn't expect to see Kiefer Sutherland in front of the camera. But during an interview on Lorraine last year, he did say that he's "learned never to say never on 24".
"We shot the last season here in London and I didn't expect to do that. I said we were never doing 24 again, I was wrong, so I learned to stay quiet about that," he said.
We're holding out for that cameo.
Lorraine Kelly then asked where he stood on taking part in another season. His reply?
"If the story is good. As long as the story is good."
But we do know that Kiefer will be playing a role behind the camera.
"There are no discussions about whether or not he will have any kind of role," Fox co-chairman Gary Newman said (via Deadline). "He's aware of it, and he'd be an executive producer and is excited about the idea."
It remains to be seen who will take on the role of young Jack Bauer at this early stage.
24 season 10 release date: When will it air?
There's currently no news on this, but keep tabs on this page for all your 24 updates.
24 season 10 plot: What would happen?
Details about what will unfold in the new series are virtually non-existent. All we understand at this stage is that Fox is interested in a prequel which will focus on Bauer's early days.
But we've very kindly theorised about the many different routes it could take using information we learned about the series' central character from the show. You're welcome.
24 season 10 trailer: When will it land?
Any trailers or first-look teasers are but a distant dream at the moment.
But if the prequel does go ahead (here's hoping), we'll pop it right here for you when it arrives.
24 reboot: The story so far
This isn't the first relaunch of the series. In 2014, 24: Live Another Day (aka season nine/Day Nine), marked Jack's big comeback.
The well-received limited run series took place four years after the events of season eight and saw Jack once again attempting to stop a huge terrorist attack in London, while also trying to evade capture by the Americans.
But spin-off 24: Legacy (2017), with an entirely new cast (apart from Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida), didn't get a great reception and only ran for one season before it was cancelled.
Set three years after the events of Live Another Day, it followed Corey Hawkins as ex-Army Ranger Eric Carter, on a mission to stop terrorist attacks in the US and avoid being killed by terrorist leader Sheikh Ibrahim Bin-Khalid and his organisation.
There was also talk of the network working on another spin-off, described as a "legal thriller" with a female prosecutor as its central character.
However, that was reportedly scrapped despite Kiefer Sutherland's enthusiasm – back in 2018, he told Digital Spy that it was a "really fascinating idea".
And a movie was floated too, but that idea was also abandoned.
24 and 24: Legacy are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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