It's Just Movies

— by JOSUE SANCHEZ —

If you have ever watched “24,” you will probably agree with me that there is no TV show like it. Since it premiered, it has been shocking its viewers and entangling them in its web of action, political controversy, surprises, conspiracies, lies and violence.

Whatever opinion, whatever prejudice, or whatever standard you may have, “24” has exploited it and latched onto you so that you come along for the ride because you wonder if your assumptions and opinions will unravel themselves in the plot. Usually, the characters you hate in the beginning you end up loving. From its inception, it dropped the viewers right smack in the middle of an untrustworthy environment.

I still remember in Season One, Episode One (“12:00AM to 1:00AM”), when Jack Bauer entered the confines of CTU for the first time in the show, I immediately felt an overall suspicious tone of everyone around him; they all looked to have agendas and, just like Jack, we, the audience, didn’t know whom we could trust.

The intrigue is what kept us coming back, hour after hour. How will each character pan out in the end? Are they pulling the wool over our eyes? No other show could draw you in so effectively, into the web of deceit and conspiracy.

The show has continued involving its viewers for eight seasons, and it is currently almost at the half-mark of season eight. It is an expensive show, and that is definitely evident. Yet, because it is so expensive to film, every season could be its last. As each season approaches its conclusion, the fans wait anxiously for news of a renewal for one more season. As if fear of cancellation wasn’t enough, there is also the fear, or threat, of the writers killing off the protagonist of the show, Jack Bauer.

For many seasons now, the producers of the show have gone on record expressing that they felt that in the end, Jack should die. Adding to that consensus at one point, Kiefer Sutherland himself expressed his consent of this fate for his character.

Another possibility that was always tossed around throughout the years was to make a “24” a movie. This brought up many questions. Would the movie be in real time? Would it be in real time only for its final hour? Would it be a series of movies? None of these questions were ever really answered or a movie confirmed, but the hope for a movie has always stayed afloat with the fans.

Finally, in the last few weeks, various websites are reporting claims that FOX is close to declaring season eight of “24” its last. FOX has not yet confirmed or denied these rumblings, yet there is a great possibility of them being true.

After some research, it has become obvious to me that this announcement should not come as a surprise. I believe they will move on with “24,” but to the big screen.

Sutherland was one of the first movie stars to embrace the small screen in recent years, and what a trend he set! After “24,” more and more movie stars jumped on the television bandwagon, and television productions improved greatly. But now it is possible that Kiefer may want the big screen back, and he will be taking Jack with him. Allow me to explain in the style of “24.”

The following events took place “between January and December 2009”:

This was a devastating year for “24” and Jack Bauer fans. After being MIA for more than year, the show returned to the news that this (season seven) would be its last. Adding pain to injury, there were many interviews in which the producers and Kiefer Sutherland himself expressed that Jack should die in the final moments of “24.” For example, the JAN. 26, 2009, Michael Ausiello article titled “’24’ Exclusive: Kiefer Sutherland Calling it a Day?” quoted executive producer Jon Cassar as saying “Kiefer and I have always said, ‘Jack Bauer’s gotta die” and “Good news for terrorists everywhere: With just one more year left on Kiefer Sutherland’s ’24’ contract, there’s a very real possibility that Jack Bauer’s career as the world’s foremost savior may end next season.”

While Sutherland says he’s undecided as to whether “Day 8” will be his last, he’s watching the clock in a way he never has before.” These articles hit pretty hard, and I was personally devastated. This was not the end that Jack deserved. But when the main actor himself feels this way about his character, what hope is there for “24?”

The following events took place “between January and March 2010”:

The new year began with a bang as the eighth season of “24” kicked off to a running start. New articles started piping up that resurrected hope for “24’s” future! There was this article on Feb. 8: “Breaking News: ’24’ Movie Inching Closer to Reality” by Lynette Rice. Here she explains: “Jack Bauer may finally hit the big screen. Though Fox has yet to decide whether to pick up a ninth season of ’24,’ an insider confirmed that the film side is in talks with Billy Ray (“State of Play”) to write a screenplay for the franchise. Word is the scribe came in and pitched his version of the flick. Any movement on a film may hinge upon the show’s future with the network; Fox toppers Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly will likely want to see how the show performs over the next few weeks before deciding whether to commit to another season of Bauer racing the clock.”

Also, it was encouraging to read what Keifer says to her next.

“In January, star Kiefer Sutherland told EW that he’d love to do a movie (“It would be a two-hour representation of a day”), and thinks the TV show can actually be done at the same time. “I actually tried to convince a few people of this. In a media world that is changing unbelievably fast, a television series can either act as a great trailer for a film, or a film can act as a great trailer for a television series. And I think the first person who actually does that is going to change the way television interacts with feature films.”

Isn’t it interesting that Kiefer changing his mind and an actual possibility for a movie happened simultaneously?

This brings us to all the articles popping up this week claiming it is going to be the end for the show after this season. Well, to anyone who has been following the “24” news closely, there is no surprise here; this was already expected.

It is time for “24” to enter and conquer a new realm — the big screen. Yes, there will be a huge void in the TV world when the series concludes its extraordinary run, but I have no doubt that “24: The Movie” will be well received, and a total success. What do you think?

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Follow Josue Sanchez on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Josue_can.