Revival-happy though TV has become, the middling success of 24: Live Another Day has cooled interest in an immediate followup, the latest rumors suggesting FOX might revive the franchise with a new male lead. That seems to be the case now, as Kiefer Sutherland says he wouldn’t return for another full-time 24 gig.

Speaking with Deadline, Sutherland shot down the possibility of resurrecting Jack Bauer for an additional Live Another Day season, citing an emphasis on limited series. That said, the actor encourages continuing the franchise with a new lead, and teased the possibility of a minor appearance:

I’m not coming back to do 24 because there are other things I want to do. And when they said limited series run, I meant it. But I’ve always felt, from season one on, that 24 is such a great idea that this can go on forever. I think if you create a new cast or other characters in the telling of this story, it will bring a freshness. And let’s face it, there’s only so many bad days one can have before the show becomes a mad comic. And what I don’t want it to be is a mad comic…it doesn’t rule out to one having a cameo.

When last we heard of a potential continuation, FOX was working with Live Another Day vets Manny Coto and Evan Katz to develop a new iteration of 24 with a younger male terrorist hunter, paired with and older, seasoned female partner. Should FOX decide to move forward with the 24 spinoff, production would keep to the smaller event-series model, rather than return to the full 24-hour cycle.

24 without Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer in the lead would be an adjustment, but would a new lead and a minor Bauer cameo end up preferable to no 24 at all?

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