WSF

“24″ Headed to the Big Screen

posted by Ken WSF President on February 8, 2010

According to Variety, Kiefer Sutherland’s hit Fox show “24″ has come one step closer to coming to the big screen after years of pondering.

The film side has hired scribe Billy Ray (”State of Play,” “Flightplan”) to pen the script for the feature version. Ray’s pitch, which takes Jack Bauer to Europe, was a hit with Fox execs and producers of the high-concept television series.

Ray also wrote and directed “Breach” and “Shattered Glass.”

Script is said to have come through “24″ star Kiefer Sutherland, who’s also an exec producer on the series — and is said to be eager to turn the long-running TV skein into a feature franchise.

Insiders cautioned that a “24″ feature is still very much in the preliminary stages. There are a number of factors influencing how quickly it moves ahead, including the fate of the TV show.

Fox doesn’t have a deal for a ninth season of “24,” and hasn’t yet decided whether to order another season. Insiders said the network is waiting to see this week’s ratings before making a decision, but the betting is that this will be the final season.

The allure of spinning a popular TV series into a bigscreen film is hard to ignore for studio execs, since there is a built-in audience and brand awareness. “24″ has also been a mammoth hit for the studio in foreign markets, which suggests that a feature adaptation would travel well.

Fox saw big rewards from turning TV toon “The Simpsons” into a feature film. In 2007, “The Simpsons” grossed $183.1 million domestically and $343.9 million overseas for a worldwide cume of $527.1 million.