Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new Jack Bauer.
Well, not literally Jack Bauer. But TVLine is reporting that Corey Hawkins has been cast in the lead role of 24: Legacy, a potential 12-episode follow up series to 24 that takes place in the same world. Hawkins’ character will be Eric Carter, a former Army Ranger who will reportedly be “pulled back into action as his past comes looking for him. He eventually turns to CTU for help in saving his life and stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.”
Hawkins starred in last year’s acclaimed NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton, and he’s currently recurring on The Walking Dead as Heath. So…R.I.P. Heath? It’s certainly possible that Heath could be recast on the show, as the character has barely scratched the surface of his comic book counterpart. It may even be possible for Hawkins to do both series if his schedule allows it. But if not, then 24:Legacy would clearly be his priority.
Related: Fox Announces Prison Break Event Series, 24: Legacy Pilot
Kiefer Sutherland is not expected to appear in 24: Legacy as Jack Bauer, nor are any of the previous characters likely to return. All we know for sure is that the pilot episode of 24: Legacy will take place after 24: Live Another Day, and that its plot will involve sleeper cells of terrorists in the United States.
Fox has only ordered a pilot episode for 24: Legacy, but if it goes to series it could premiere as soon as Fall 2016.
What do you think about Hawkins as the lead of the new 24? Let us know in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: AMC
24: Jack Bauer’s Biggest Badass Moments
Jack Bauer's Biggest Badass Moments
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10. Jack Goes Car Jousting With Nina
Season 1 Episode 24
After blowing her cover by sending Jack into an ambush with false info, Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) left a trail of dead bodies on her way out of CTU. She might have gotten away if Jack hadn’t confronted her while driving straight at her car with an SUV.
Jack managed to stop Nina, but he was talked down from taking her out... which was a decision he would live to regret.
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9. Jack Plays With Scissors
Season 5 Episode 9
When a man comes to kill you, use whatever is at hand to defend yourself. For Jack, it was a pair of scissors that allowed him to walk away from this fight. As you can see from the pic, the other guy wasn’t as lucky.
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8. Iron Jack Bauer
Season 8 Episode 22
Former President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) played a direct role in the death of someone close to Jack. Do you think Jack will take that lying down? Or will Jack don some heavy body armor and stage a one man assault on Logan’s motorcade before kidnapping the former President?
Yes, Jack took the second option.
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7. Jack Breaks Bierko
Season 5 Episode 23
Vladimir Bierko (Julian Sands) was on the verge of firing missiles in an unprecedented act of terror. So, Jack Bauer broke his neck... with his legs.
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6. Jack Takes Goren’s Head
Season 2 Episode 1
Marshall Goren (Carl Ciarfalio) was a murderer and a pedophile who cut a deal with the Feds to avoid prison time. Jack needed to quickly reestablish his cover with a crew linked to an upcoming terror threat, so Jack did the only thing that came naturally.
Jack shot Goren dead while he was in CTU custody and he sawed off his head before presenting it to the domestic terrorists as proof that he was on their side.
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5. Jack Gives Chase a Hand
Season 3 Episode 24
Chase Edmunds (James Badge Dale) was only Jack’s partner for a single season, but he suffered for it!
In the third season finale, Chase kept a terrorist from getting away with a viral bomb by cuffing himself to the device. But in order to get the device secured before it went off, Jack had to chop off Chase’s hand... with full support from Chase himself!
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4. Jack Grabs a Bite
Season 6 Episode 2
In eight seasons of “24,’ Jack Bauer was rarely shown eating or drinking. Can you blame the man if he’s getting a bit peckish?!
The real story of “the bite” is that Jack went along with a U.S. plan to surrender himself to the terrorist, Abu Fayed (Adoni Maropis) in exchange for his help in stopping a deadly string of domestic terror attacks.
But when Jack learns that Fayed was behind the attacks, he decides that it’s time to leave. So he bit a man to death before freeing his hands and escaping.
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3 Jack Bauer: One Man Army
Season 6 Episode 17
With Fayed about to launch some nukes, Jack Bauer doesn’t have time to wait for Ricky Schroder’s Mike Doyle and the rest of CTU to show up. Jack has to take out Fayed and his remaining men by himself... and he does.
Jack also gives Fayed one of the most brutal deaths in the show’s history by hanging him with chains. By the time that Mike shows up, all he can say is “Damn, Jack!"
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2. Jack Slaughters The Drazens
Season 1 Episode 24
Tricked into believing his daughter has been killed, Jack willing confronts the Drazen family and their men by himself before he systematically kills all of them.
This was one of the most unforgettable moments in “24” and it cemented Jack’s reputation as the ultimate badass.
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1. Jack Kicks Ass While Having a Heart Attack
Season 2 Episode 24
Technically, Jack wasn’t having a heart attack. However, Jack was having some serious heart problems because of the torture he had endured earlier in the day.
But in his last desperate mission of the season, Jack manages to prevent a war and kill several bad guys while practically doubled over from heart pain. Jack even breaks a dude’s neck while running up a wall and gasping for breath.
Well played, Mr. Bauer. Well played.