'24' Movie Rumors Return
According to
Scribe Billy Ray, who also worked on the script for the Russell Crowe thriller State of Play, has possibly been hired to write the script for the film. Despite a 10% drop in ratings compared to last year's numbers, 24 remains the third most watched show on the Fox television network behind American Idol and House. Still, the network hasn't yet said anything regarding a ninth season renewal. Work on the season finale is reportedly about to begin, with filming scheduled to conclude on March 24. The show's writers need to know soon whether the finale should conclude the entire series or not. Should the show end on a traditional cliffhanger, I believe it's entirely possible that the film could lend some closure to the series, Serenity style.
In related news, Keifer Sutherland says he's excited with the prospect of bringing the series to the big screen and mused over the fact that working in television is no longer a death sentence for an actor's film acting career, as it was with his father's generation. He claims this may be why there has been resistance to this idea from Fox. "That was when we had three networks. We have six hundred now, and if I want to see Paul Newman in a movie, I don’t have to go out. And so the game has changed. And I think we’re going to have to adjust with it."
Oh, and for those of you expecting the movie to adhere to the series' gimmick of real time, you're out of luck. Keifer says it'll be a 2-hour condensation of a 24 hour period, not an actual 2 hours. Nor would the film have an absurd 24 hour runtime. Sorry!
