Post by Sam Bellis on Dec 9, 2008 13:01:17 GMT 1
Known details
Plot
In the special features of the 24: Redemption DVD release, Fox released the first 17 minutes of the season premiere.
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."
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, Presidential health 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.
Carlos Bernard will return as Tony Almeida in the premiere of season 7 as one of the main antagonists, using his knowledge in order to help the terrorists get around government interference. Show-runner Howard Gordon explained that Tony's "uncertain fate" left the door open for his return and cited the lack of a "silent clock" as a deliberate move to keep his death ambiguous. "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.".
24: Redemption (Prequel)
FOX aired a two-hour "prequel" TV movie on Sunday, November 23, 2008 that bridges the gap between seasons.
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. "[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. The prequel takes place approximately 3 years and 6 months after Day 6.
Production
Producers were determined to reinvent the series after facing criticism over the sixth season. They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling to Africa trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.
“ "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."
The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August. Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.
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.
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. United States Navy SEALs helped battle terrorists at Camarillo Airport during filming of an episode on August 12-13 2008.
After completion of the 18th episode, production was temporarily shut down on September 15, 2008 for two weeks in order to perform script rewrites for the final six episodes. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Howard Gordon responded "We just couldn't get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it."
Writers Guild of America strike
On October 25, 2007, FOX premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13, 2008. Just eleven days later, on November 5, 2007, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. Rather than airing the eight completed episodes, FOX executives immediately postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety." 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."
Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22, 2008.
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."
Sutherland reiterated this in an interview with TV Guide on August 18, 2008.
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.
Brannon Braga, Alex Gansa, and Juan Carlos Coto have joined the writing crew and are credited as Co-Executive Producers
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. "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." The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.
Regular Cast
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor
Annie Wersching as FBI Special Agent Renee Walker
Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor
Bob Gunton as White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin
Jeffrey Nordling as FBI Special Agent in Charge Larry Moss
Rhys Coiro as FBI Special Agent Sean Hillinger
with Janeane Garofalo as FBI Special Agent Janis Gold
and Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida
Special Guest Stars
Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian
Kurtwood Smith as a Senator Blaine Mayer; Chairman of the Senate Hearing in D.C.
Special Guest Appearance By:
Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges
Recurring cast
(in alphabetical order by actor surname)
Gil Bellows as Frank Tramell
John Billingsley as Michael Latham
Ever Carradine as an FBI Special Agent
Nick Chinlund as Masters
Rory Cochrane as Greg Seaton
Cameron Daddo as Vice President Mitchell Hansen
Isaach De Bankolé as Former African Prime Minister Ule Motobo
Sprague Grayden as First Daughter Olivia Taylor
Tim Guinee as reporter
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Ike Dubaku
Mark Kiely as Rogue Secret Service Agent Edward Vossler
Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce
Carly Pope as Samantha Roth
Amy Price-Francis as Cara Bowden
Tony Todd as General Benjamin Juma; dictator of the fictional African nation, Sangala
Peter Wingfield as Emmerson
Mark Aiken as Mr. Nichols
Jacqueline Piñol as Carol Vossler
Lovensky Jean-Baptiste as Udo
Kathryn Gordon as Patricia Eames
Tommy Flanagan as Gabriel Schechter
Marlene Forte as Rosa Gonzales
Dameon Clarke as Alan Tanner
Roshawn Franklin as Abozi
Chris Williams as Tony Almeida's henchman
Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith
Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods, Secretary of Homeland Security
Henri Kingi Jr as Dolen
Mike Baldridge
John Rosenfeld
Murphy Guyer
Mark Derwin
William O’Leary
Maximiliano Hernández
Trailers
Jack Bauer testifyingThe debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007. In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad. 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.
A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning USA losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control.
Jon Cassar confirmed on the Fox message board that the 24: Redemption DVD will have a new alternate trailer for the season as an extra feature and that it will contain scenes from the first fourteen episodes.
Plot
In the special features of the 24: Redemption DVD release, Fox released the first 17 minutes of the season premiere.
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."
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, Presidential health 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.
Carlos Bernard will return as Tony Almeida in the premiere of season 7 as one of the main antagonists, using his knowledge in order to help the terrorists get around government interference. Show-runner Howard Gordon explained that Tony's "uncertain fate" left the door open for his return and cited the lack of a "silent clock" as a deliberate move to keep his death ambiguous. "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.".
24: Redemption (Prequel)
FOX aired a two-hour "prequel" TV movie on Sunday, November 23, 2008 that bridges the gap between seasons.
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. "[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. The prequel takes place approximately 3 years and 6 months after Day 6.
Production
Producers were determined to reinvent the series after facing criticism over the sixth season. They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling to Africa trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.
“ "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."
The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August. Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.
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.
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. United States Navy SEALs helped battle terrorists at Camarillo Airport during filming of an episode on August 12-13 2008.
After completion of the 18th episode, production was temporarily shut down on September 15, 2008 for two weeks in order to perform script rewrites for the final six episodes. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Howard Gordon responded "We just couldn't get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it."
Writers Guild of America strike
On October 25, 2007, FOX premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13, 2008. Just eleven days later, on November 5, 2007, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. Rather than airing the eight completed episodes, FOX executives immediately postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety." 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."
Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22, 2008.
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."
Sutherland reiterated this in an interview with TV Guide on August 18, 2008.
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.
Brannon Braga, Alex Gansa, and Juan Carlos Coto have joined the writing crew and are credited as Co-Executive Producers
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. "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." The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.
Regular Cast
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor
Annie Wersching as FBI Special Agent Renee Walker
Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor
Bob Gunton as White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin
Jeffrey Nordling as FBI Special Agent in Charge Larry Moss
Rhys Coiro as FBI Special Agent Sean Hillinger
with Janeane Garofalo as FBI Special Agent Janis Gold
and Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida
Special Guest Stars
Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian
Kurtwood Smith as a Senator Blaine Mayer; Chairman of the Senate Hearing in D.C.
Special Guest Appearance By:
Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges
Recurring cast
(in alphabetical order by actor surname)
Gil Bellows as Frank Tramell
John Billingsley as Michael Latham
Ever Carradine as an FBI Special Agent
Nick Chinlund as Masters
Rory Cochrane as Greg Seaton
Cameron Daddo as Vice President Mitchell Hansen
Isaach De Bankolé as Former African Prime Minister Ule Motobo
Sprague Grayden as First Daughter Olivia Taylor
Tim Guinee as reporter
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Ike Dubaku
Mark Kiely as Rogue Secret Service Agent Edward Vossler
Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce
Carly Pope as Samantha Roth
Amy Price-Francis as Cara Bowden
Tony Todd as General Benjamin Juma; dictator of the fictional African nation, Sangala
Peter Wingfield as Emmerson
Mark Aiken as Mr. Nichols
Jacqueline Piñol as Carol Vossler
Lovensky Jean-Baptiste as Udo
Kathryn Gordon as Patricia Eames
Tommy Flanagan as Gabriel Schechter
Marlene Forte as Rosa Gonzales
Dameon Clarke as Alan Tanner
Roshawn Franklin as Abozi
Chris Williams as Tony Almeida's henchman
Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith
Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods, Secretary of Homeland Security
Henri Kingi Jr as Dolen
Mike Baldridge
John Rosenfeld
Murphy Guyer
Mark Derwin
William O’Leary
Maximiliano Hernández
Trailers
Jack Bauer testifyingThe debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007. In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad. 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.
A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning USA losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control.
Jon Cassar confirmed on the Fox message board that the 24: Redemption DVD will have a new alternate trailer for the season as an extra feature and that it will contain scenes from the first fourteen episodes.