24 (season 7)

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24 Season 7

Season 7 Cast
Country of origin United States
Network FOX
Global
Sky One
RTÉ Two
Original run January 2009[1] –
No. of episodes 24 (and one two-hour prequel)
Previous season 24 (season 6)

Season Seven, also known as Day 7, of the television series 24 was originally planned to premiere on January 13, 2008 but was delayed an entire year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[1] FOX will air a two-hour "prequel" TV movie on November 23, 2008 that bridges the gap between seasons.[2]

Contents

[edit] Known details

[edit] Plot

  • According to a TV Guide interview with co-executive producer Manny Coto, "In a sense, it's a reboot — in location and personnel. We're going to be introducing a new stable of characters, along with a couple of old ones. Jack starts next season in a very different place than any season so far. [He's] not living under an alias. He's found a place he thinks he belongs and a job he enjoys doing that doesn't involve the government... We're hewing much closer to real life: tighter, more personal, more difficult for Jack. There will not be a ticking clock on a nuclear device [and] the villain is not a terrorist [but] someone with a supremely dark past who's done something horrific and whose ambition is to regain his stature in the world. There may even be a plot thread that doesn't take place on U.S. soil."[3]
  • Writer and Executive Producer Michael Loceff has confirmed, "what we are going for, is really taking this to the personal level," unlike this season six's focus on nuclear threats, the President getting hurt and possible war. Loceff says "you just can't go much bigger than that, unless you put a spacesuit on Jack Bauer and shoot him into orbit. Which you know, we may get there, but we're not going to be there yet." Next season expect smaller story lines for the characters, including Jack. Loceff adds, "and how he tries to resolve a particularly thorny conflict in the final episode." Loceff tells us Season 7 will focus on smaller and more intense story lines. But the specifics are still a mystery even for Loceff and the writers.[4]
  • Executive producer Howard Gordon told iF Magazine that the new season is set several months after the events of the sixth season and will be set entirely in Washington, D.C. or New York and will start at 7 am.[5]
  • Carlos Bernard will return as Tony Almeida in the premiere of season 7 as one of the main antagonists. Show-runner Howard Gordon explained that Tony's "uncertain fate" left the door open for his return[6] and cited the lack of a "silent clock" as a deliberate move to keep his death ambiguous.[7] "We didn't give him the silent clock because we always wanted to keep alive the possibility for some kind of (admittedly) miraculous resurrection... which we will explain," and followed up with "He's definitely NOT the Almeida we once knew."[7].

[edit] Prequel

FOX will air a two-hour "prequel" TV movie on November 23, 2008 that bridges the gap between seasons.[2]

The storyline of the prequel takes place during Inauguration Day for the next U.S. President, Allison Taylor, and is shot partially in South Africa.[2][8] "[Jack] is a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace," says co-executive producer, Manny Coto. "But he winds up in Africa in the middle of a military coup." Meanwhile, Bauer is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate hearing while in Africa, but doesn't want to go.[9] Howard Gordon revealed the prequel takes place approximately a year after day six.[10]

On April 30, producers began scouting locations in Africa in order to film the prequel in the following weeks.[11][12] Robert Carlyle was cast as Benton, Jack's mentor in Africa.[13] Gil Bellows plays a State Department officer ordered to serve Bauer with a subpoena. Eric Lively plays Roger, the President's son, and Tony Todd will portray African dictator General Benjamin Juma.[14] On June 13 it was announced that Jon Voight had been cast as a villain, and would be appearing in the prequel and the second half of the regular season.[15]

[edit] Production

Producers were determined to reinvent the series after facing criticism over the sixth season.[16] They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling Africa trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.[17]

“ "The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn’t feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the IHOP, I sat across Joel and Bob and we all agreed this story wasn’t working and retooled it two weeks ago."[17] ”

The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August.[18][19] Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.[20]

Measures will be taken during filming and production of season 7 to save energy and reduce enough carbon emissions throughout the season to make the season finale "carbon neutral". Howard Gordon said that 24 cares about the issue of global warming and takes fighting climate change seriously. A number of ways that the production intends to save energy are listed on the site, some of which are: using a combination of petroleum diesel and biodiesel instead of regular diesel fuel, creating a series of PSAs with Kiefer Sutherland and other main cast members to educate the public on what they can do to help with the issue, and, when appropriate, applying the issue of global warming and reducing carbon emissions to the storylines.[21]

The crew was scheduled to film scenes with Kiefer Sutherland at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on Monday October 22, 2007, however filming was canceled for health reasons due to raging wildfires in the area. Cast and crew had blurry vision and difficulty breathing from the smoke.[22]

[edit] Writers Strike

On October 25, FOX premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13.[23] Just eleven days later, on November 5, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. FOX executives postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety."[1] FOX scheduling chief, Preston Blackman, admitted "It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show."[24]

Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22.[9]

Kiefer Sutherland claims the strike was beneficial to the show: "The time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that season 7 is going to be the best season yet."[25]

[edit] Crew

  • Jon Cassar is directing the first two episodes of the season and he will direct six episodes with Brad Turner (who is now co-executive producer) directing the third and fourth episodes. Brad Turner is scheduled to direct at least ten episodes.[26] Bryan Spicer and Milan Cheylov will split the rest of the directing duties.[citation needed]
  • Executive Producer and 24 co-creator Joel Surnow left the series on February 12, 2008. His contract with 20th Century Fox was due to expire on April 30 but he requested an early release.[28] "I did some soul-searching. I took [the strike] as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things. After doing 24, I don't know if I want to do a mainstream show again. I like what's going on in cable; there is an opportunity to stretch dramatically there, which is something I'm trying to do."[29] The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.[28]

[edit] Season cast

This is a list of the main cast for Season 7. See List of 24 characters for a more thorough list.

 To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose.
You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (May 2008)

[edit] Regular cast

(in alphabetical order by actor surname)

[edit] Recurring cast

(in alphabetical order by actor surname)

[edit] Trailers

Jack Bauer testifying to Congress.
Jack Bauer testifying to Congress.

The debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007.[23] In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad.[33] The international version of the trailer is largely identical but features an additional line where Bauer implies personal enjoyment from torturing a suspect. This line is cut from the US version.[33]

A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning USA losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control.[34]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Fox: '24' on shelf until next January. CNN (2008-02-14).
  2. ^ a b c Emmy and Golden Globe Winner 24 Gets a Jumpstart on the Clock with Special Two-Hour Prequel Sunday, November 23, on Fox (2008-05-15). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  3. ^ TV Guide: They Did What?! Insiders Answer This Season's Biggest Burning Questions (2007-05-23).
  4. ^ Sneak Peek At 24's Season 7 (2007-05-21).
  5. ^ Details On Next Year's "24" (2007-07-25).
  6. ^ 24 Clocks Back In with a Shocking Return - TVGuide.com (2007-09-19).
  7. ^ a b Tony comes back to '24,' despite being dead. Los Angeles Times (2007-09-19).
  8. ^ Gary Levin (2008-05-14). Fox's fall schedule sets up for '24' and 'Idol'. USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  9. ^ a b 'Rookie' Webisodes provide fix for '24' fans. CNN (2008-04-29). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  10. ^ A.C. Ferrante (2008-03-13). Exclusive News: Producer Howard Gordon Explains This Fall's 2-Hour '24' TV Movie. iFMagazine. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  11. ^ Michael Ausiello (2008-04-30). Ausiello on Bones, 24, Lost, The Office, Grey's and More!. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  12. ^ Kiefer: You Can Count On 24's "Best Season Yet". TV Guide (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  13. ^ Michael Ausiello (2008-05-14). Exclusive: Full Monty Star Joins 24 Prequel Pic!. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  14. ^ Nellie Andreeva (2008-05-23). '24' prequel adds cast - Eric Lively, Tony Todd, Gil Bellows join the fray. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  15. ^ "Voight to play villain on Fox's '24' next season", Associated Press, 2008-06-13. Retrieved on 2006-06-14. 
  16. ^ Hal Boedeker (2007-05-17). Fox honcho "not satisfied" with "24" this year. Orlando Sentinel.
  17. ^ a b Anthony C. Ferrante (2007-07-24). Exclusive Interview: Howard Gordon Gives the Early Scoop on '24' - Season 7: Version 3.0. iFMagazine.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
  18. ^ Rebecca Dana (2008-02-02). Reinventing '24' - WSJ.com. Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ Michael Ausiello (2007-07-09). Exclusive: 24 Plot Tossed, Production Delayed. TV Guide.
  20. ^ Production Delays Plague '24'. Zap2It.com (2007-08-16). Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  21. ^ Emmy-Winning Drama "24" Makes Landmark Commitment To Fighting Climate Change (2007-07-22).
  22. ^ Californian fires affect TV shows. BBC News (2007-10-24). Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
  23. ^ a b 24's Season Seven Clock Starts With Worldwide Sneak Peek at 24trailer.com and Live from Times Square Thursday, Oct. 25. FOX Press Release (2007-10-18).
  24. ^ Joanna Mazewski (2007-11-08). Filming Of 24 Delayed Due To Writer's Strike. All Headline News (AHN). Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  25. ^ Kiefer: You Can Count On 24's "Best Season Yet". TV Guide (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  26. ^ Fox ties up '24's' Turner (2007-06-10).
  27. ^ Fall Network TV Preview: ABC, CBS, FOX. backstage.com (2007-09-10).
  28. ^ a b Matt Webb Mitovich (2008-02-12). 24 creator Joel Surnow leaves show mid-season. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
  29. ^ Jay Frasco (2008-02-13). '24' Co-Creator Joel Surnow Exits Show. iFMagazine.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  30. ^ Stamile goes 'Grey's'; '24' for Carradine
  31. ^ http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23714324-5006014,00.html
  32. ^ Carly Pope Joining 24 - ComingSoon.net
  33. ^ a b World Premiere Season 7 Trailer. 24fans.net (2007-10-25).
  34. ^ YouTube - 24 hours 7 season trailer 2 (2008-05-16).

[edit] External links

Wiki 24 has information related to: Season 7