Fox officially ordered the spin-off of the action-packed political spy thriller "24" despite the departure of its lead star Keifer Sutherland.
The 12-episode spin-off that will be officially called "24: Legacy" will be led by "Straight Outta Compton" star Corey Hawkins, who will portray the role of war veteran Eric Carter who vowed to prevent an upcoming terrorist attack in the US. Just like the original series, the spin-off will utilize the real time method of narration.
Entertainment Weekly revealed Fox's plans to produce the spin-off show in Jan. 15, saying that the network planned to feature an African-American actor to star in the show.
According to the network, "The pilot will feature an all-new cast of characters and retain the real-time, pulse-pounding, fast-paced format with split screens and complex interweaving storylines, with each episode representing one hour of an eventful day." It will also be spearheaded by the original producers of the series, including Manny Coto, Howard Gordon, and Evan Katz.
But while Sutherland decided not to appear in the spin-off, he will still be a part of the new series behind the scenes as one of the show's executive producers.
Joining Hawkins in the cast is "Homeland" star Miranda Otto, who will portray the role of the former head of the US Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) Rebecca Ingram. Jimmy Smits will portray the role of Rebecca's husband and presidential aspirant John Donovan, while "The Flash" star Teddy Sears appears as the ambitious new head of CTU Keith Mullins. Anna Diop also appears as Eric's wife Nicole Carter.
The upcoming spin-off will not feature any original character from the parent series at the moment, but the show could possible include their names or photos in the plot of the new show.
Fox has yet to announce the official release date of "24: Legacy" soon.
