New story, new organization, and now entirely new lead in the form of Straight Outta Compton and The Walking Dead‘s Corey Hawkins, who has been cast to headline Fox’s imminent reboot, 24: Legacy.
Word of Hawkins landing the male lead role in the studio’s reimagining comes mere days after Fox formally ordered a pilot of the real-time action series. With Kiefer Sutherland’s indelible Jack Bauer now out of the picture, Hawkins has some mighty shoes to fill as newcomer Eric Carter, though if the actor’s magnetic performance as a young Dr. Dre in F. Gary Gray’s musical biopic is anything to go by, 24 fans can be quietly confident going into Fox’s soft reboot.
As for how the character fits into this extension of the show’s universe, we understand Carter is a former Army Ranger drawn to America’s CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit) after a new threat emerges that could prove to be one of the biggest attacks on American soil.
“There’s a time jump, a new organization, a completely different story,” Fox co-chairman and CEO Dana Walden teased last week. “It’s a contemporary story about the potential to activate sleeper cells in the United States. There are nods in the pilot to prior CTU agents, but no ongoing characters.”
With Hawkins’ place now secured, word is that Fox is narrowing its search for an actress to take up the mantle of the show’s female lead, one who boasts “a long history at the agency.” Returning to direct 24: Legacy is Stephen Hopkins, who helmed the original pilot in 2001, flanked by the familiar executive producers of Howard Gordon, Manny Coto and Evan Katz back.