Behind the Scenes of 24

by Carole A. Lane on August 27th, 2007

Fans of the Kiefer Sutherland TV series, 24, were excited to hear from Director Jon Cassar, and Executive Producers Evan Katz, Manny Coto and David Fury at Comic-Con in San Diego. We not only learned a little about Season 7, but also got to ask questions about the upcoming 24 movie.

What Happened to Season 6?

The producers started out by blaming Season 6 on David Fury. With that done, they opened up the Q&A session, telling us that they spent three months locked in a room working on Season 7, only to stop and start all over. They’re now pretty pleased with what they’ve come up with.

More complaints were voiced about Season 6, and they were acknowledged, however they said that the past season had some of their finest moments as well, such as when Jack tortured his brother; they are proud of those moments. According to the producers, Season 7 will take a different direction, and the writing will be better. There will be some radical changes.

When asked how much time is supposed to have passed between Season 6 and Season 7, they were very precise - between 2 and 27 years.

They also acknowledged that Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) was slightly short-shrifted last year, and we hope to see more of him in the coming year.

Season 6 didn’t end with the expected cliff-hanger, because they decided they wanted it to be an ending for a change. They considered an alternate ending where Jack is standing looking out over a cliff,, and out of the shadows walks Tony Almeida. (Manny Coto admitted having a man-crush on Tony, as did Jon Cassar.) They strongly hinted that Tony Almeida will be back, much to the audience’s delight.

What Will Be Different in Season 7?

First of all, when Season 7 starts, there will be no Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). It has been disbanded by the government, and Jack will be hauled before a Senate Committee to answer for his crimes.

It’s pretty likely that the 24 setting will move from Los Angeles to DC.

When asked if there always has to be a mole in the White House and in CTU, the producers offered that they may reverse it and put a mole in CTU and one in the White House. In their own defense, they said that there was no mole in CTU last year, so SIT DOWN!

Asked about characters to be eliminated or otherwise changed, they announced that Cherry Jones will play the President this season. Mary Lynn Rajskub will, of course, come back as Chloe, and they’re pretty close to signing Kiefer Sutherland!

David Fury was asked how he’ll write for the president, and how he writes for women in general, as he has for Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] and Harmony. Evan Katz pleaded, “David, help us think like a woman…” Fury smiled and said that he’s secure in his feminine side without ridiculing others.”

Jon Cassar expressed regret that they don’t get to use Fury’s incredible sense of humor more.

There was talk about the show’s strong relationship with the military, and that they might be using a sub that just came back from Iraq. They’ve also been offered an aircraft carrier, but they haven’t found a way to write it in yet.

Someone asked about Martha Logan (Jean Smart’s character), and they said that they believe she must have done some time in prison, but perhaps she’d get out for a “medical condition.” Keep watching for “Caged Martha,” the new series - NOT.

One wondered if there are any other characters returning, and the producers said, “If we haven’t depicted them as dead, they’re usually not.”

The idea of a prequel came up, and they said that they seriously considered it, but one problem is that everyone’s older. Also, you know who lives and dies based on later seasons, so that really doesn’t work.

The theme of Season 7? “Jack’s struggle to get to Season 8.”

We can also expect Jack to be more physical this year, because he will be on his own, without the backup of CTU.

Don’t expect to see the return of Audrey Raines (Kim Raver); she’s on another show now (The Nine).

When another audience member begged them not to bring back Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert), the producers countered with, “Just for that, this is the Kim Bauer Season!”

If you’ve been wondering if they’d ever tell us if Jack’s nephew is really his son, they’ve decided to let the audience just figure that one out.

How about the return of Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower)? He’s on Friday Night Lights now, but they’re pushing to get him.

Season 7 will premiere in January of 2008.

Odd and Ends

Manny Coto talked about how similar it is to write tech speak for Star Trek and 24’s CTU.

There was talk about how they decide who lives and who dies, and the producers said that they need to save the deaths for when they’ll be dramatically impactful. Either that, of they pick who’s paid the most. Or who’s changed the lines.

They tried to get serious for a moment to explain that the deaths aren’t arbitrary. They also said that they’ve gotten better at telling the actors ahead of time. Peter Weller actually talked himself out of dying, as he was actually supposed to die instead of Tony. Aaron Pierce was also supposed to die. Tony was supposed to die about five times.

Asked about the Fan Phone, Jon Cassar said that he usually turns it on in January, but he hasn’t this year. He promises to turn it on soon.

When someone asked where they can get a phone like Jack Bauer’s, they were told to call Steven Jobs. The producers also mentioned that they’ve been told that the CIA can do almost everything Jack and Chloe can, only slower.

One fan wondered it the show could survive if Jack Bauer were killed off. The producers said, “If we were able to get Danny Bonaduce…”

One thing that they have established is that Jack works better when his relationship is already established. He doesn’t date well.

They did try to get Donald Sutherland (Kiefer’s father) to join the cast, but it just didn’t work out.

It was accepted that Jack’s character has gotten darker each season, and that’s on purpose.

Someone asked who came up with the idea that Jack would carry a purse, and the producers said that it was originally to be a magic bag, and they have no idea what’s in it. Kiefer actually picked the man-purse for himself.

Have you played Damn It?

There’s a drinking game going around college campuses, where the students take a shot every time Jack Bauer says “Damn It.” Someone asked if the writers actually write in “Damn It” that often, or whether they’re improvised by Sutherland. Reportedly Sutherland is aware of the game, and likes to throw in a few extra “Damn It”s for the drinking crowd.

24 - The Movie

So what about the movie 24? They producers have realized that it’s very ambitious to try to do both the movie and the series at the same time. When 24 finishes on TV, they think the movie will then come out.

So how does the 24-hour clock translate to a movie? They said that the movie will run in real time too - for 24 hours. Okay, maybe not. They’ve thought about making the first hour of the film not in real time, and the second hour in real time. They’re not committing to it though.

The movie’s release date is now tentatively expected in 2009.

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