Fox is about to reset the clock on 24 but not without adding one of the series’ original characters back into the mix. Carlos Bernard will reprise his role as the beloved Tony Almeida in Fox’s reboot of the series 24: Legacy.
Co-showrunner’s Manny Coto and Evan Katz released a statement directly to TV Line:
Tony Almeida is one of the most indelible personalities in the 24 universe, at times loyal and loving, other times an utterly amoral, ruthless mercenary. Carlos Bernard has done an amazing job portraying this dark and conflicted character, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with his return to the show.
The pilot has already been shot as well as a few episodes at this point so he won’t be seen right away. It’s a smart move on Fox’s part and in a way mirrors what Lucasfilm did with Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Give the new characters time to establish themselves and the audience time to become invested before bringing familiar characters back into the fold. Otherwise they run the risk that people will lose sight of the new characters leaving them to fall by the wayside. Imagine if Han and Chewie were introduced into TFA right out of the gate. No one would have cared about Rey, Finn, Poe or Kylo.
Tony was last seen in prison on the special features for 24: Live Another Day in a short film pleading for his release from prison so that he could make up for his sins. The short film closed ominously as Tony looked through a pair of spyglasses (slipped to him by the DOJ), mapping his escape route out of prison. Chances are he’s out and involved one way or another with the threat in the new season.
Kiefer Sutherland is busy as his new series Designated Survivor just got picked up for a full season but Tony coming back makes me a bit more optimistic that Jack will eventually return. While I’m excited for 24: Legacy, I was upset when the producers and Kiefer originally hinted that Jack would probably not return for LAD. If he wasn’t ever going to appear again, why get invested in new characters knowing they would probably get cheated out of a resolution?
While Director Jon Cassar is back at the helm, the incredibly talented cinematographer of the original series, Rodney Charters, will not be back for Legacy. It’s yet to see whether or not the reboot will recapture the energy and flavor of the original.
The new series will feature Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) in the lead role as an Army ranger who turns to C.T.U. to help save his life after returning home from an important mission to take out a terrorist leader.
Coto also spoke on the series’ new protagonist with TV Line:
The premise of the season is based on a real story about the guys who took out Osama bin Laden. It struck us as a fascinating introduction for a character who participated in a huge mission to take out a terrorist leader and then had to go back to his normal life. And then what would happen if someone started killing off the members of his team one by one? It was a way to start fresh with a brand new character—a character that is not Jack Bauer. This character is not. This character is a soldier who is not used to this world of espionage
The clock starts ticking Sunday Feb. 5 after the Superbowl before the show moves to its regular time on Monday at 8 p.m. the following night.
A military hero who returns to the U.S. with a whole lot trouble following him back. With nowhere else to turn, the man asks CTU to help him save his life while also stopping one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.
SOURCE: TV Line
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