Like Jack Bauer wrapping a sleeper hold around his enemy and cooly whispering, "Don't fight it," there's been a certain inevitability to a "24" movie. Based on the hit Bush-era Fox show, the real-time adventures of CTU superagent Bauer has been bound for the big-screen based on the lives and deaths he's experienced, the terrorists he's killed, and the helicopters he's downed. Television, after all, is too small a medium for this man's excellence in the field of counter-terrorism. Do you really need to see the season three episode where it takes him an hour to kick a heroin addiction? You should.
Speaking at The Television Critics Association in support of his new Fox show "Touch," star Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed what producer Brian Grazer has been saying since April — "24" will likely start shooting next spring. "Late April or May" is the timeline given, as it's likely the Mark Bomback draft of the script has been given the thumbs up by all the interested parties. While there's no director yet announced, it's Fox – when it comes to their action films, proceed with caution.
In other TV-to-movie news, Megan Mullally confirmed that "Party Down" co-creator John Enbom submitted an outline for a movie to investors, which was "enthusiastically approved." Mullally told journalists that the entire cast is set to return, with the exception of Jane Lynch, who remains a bit of a question mark (her marriage didn't exactly end well during the season 2 finale). Filming is expected to begin in late spring or early summer, continuing from the very end of the second season, and reuniting a cast that included Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr, Ken Marino and Ryan Hansen. Finally, a reason to ask, "Are we having fun yet?"
No word yet on exactly plot details, but Mullally reveals what we'll learn about her character, the relentlessly sunny Lydia, who also manages the career of her daughter Escapade. "I think we're going to see Lydia's ex-husband — Ed Ithink is name — who was really racist and a misogynist," Mullally said. It seems we're going to see the world expand a bit beyond the catering crew and their various gigs, so we're excited to see where they'll take the series on the big screen.