Kiefer Sutherland teases 24 reboot talks after 12 years since playing Jack Bauer

Kiefer Sutherland has said "a really good idea" is in place for a revival of Fox’s hit real-time thriller 24, and that he hopes to reprise his role as Jack Bauer “really soon”.

While a new 24 project was confirmed to be in development by showrunner Howard Gordon back in 2024, Sutherland revealed in November 2025 that the project still needed approval from Disney, which now owns the rights to 24 following its acquisition of 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television).

Speaking at a Young Guns panel during FanX Salt Lake, the actor provided an update on the revival and discussed the challenges in getting it made, appearing to confirm that it is still facing Disney approval hurdles.

He said (via Collider): "I don't believe it's a rights issue. It's just the people who have the rights have to have the will and want to make it."

Discussing Gordon’s script and why he wants to return to the franchise, he added: "Howard Gordon is a wonderful writer, Joel Surnow, really big idea guy, and the creator of 24. I think there's a really good idea in place, and hopefully — I mean, I miss the character.

"I miss the show. I miss making something that made people so happy, and so I can only hope that it happens really soon because no one wants to see an old, kind of limping Jack Bauer. So, yeah, we'll see what happens."

The news echoes previous comments made by Sutherland in an interview with Radio Times magazine back in December 2025, in which the actor revealed that Gordon had completed an outline for the revival.

Asked whether he ever reminisces about his character and considers returning to the role, Sutherland said: “I’ve had conversations with [series producer] Howard Gordon.”

He added: “He’s come up with an outline, which I think is an exciting step forward. We’ll see what happens. But I’m very open to it. And hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later!”

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The original series premiered in 2001 and ran for nine seasons as well as a two-hour movie, and became a huge hit with viewers. It stood out from other thrillers thanks to its use of real time, with each episode covering an hour in a day in the life of Bauer.

The show followed counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland) as he raced to defend the United States from various threats.

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Authors

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.