The clock is ticking
Time is literally running out for Army Ranger Eric Carter to stop a terror attack in 24: Legacy.
Kiefer Sutherland was never in the picture to reprise his role as Agent Jack Bauer in 24: Legacy (2016-2017), the spin-off from his action thriller 24 (2001-2010). “We are exploring a whole new world – the same country but it’s a different cinematic universe,” explains co- creator Manny Coto. “We wanted a fresh new face and a new storyline, a new hero stopping a new enemy.” The producers cast acting newcomer Corey Hawkins as their main man, elite Army Ranger Eric Carter. And being cast took Corey by surprise as much as fans, who were expecting a bigger name. “I’d played a busboy and pretty much nothing else on television, so this is an incredible leap for me,” says Corey. “It’s a huge scale production and we all know the significance of 24. So to be given the reins for the spin- off is daunting.” The creators chose to mix two real threats faced in the modern-day: terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
CAPTAIN CHAOS
24: Legacy is more than just a spin- off – it’s got social importance thanks to the kind of man that Carter is. “He has come back from the Middle East a very changed soldier. He went over there sane and to do a job. Now he doesn’t sleep, he can’t have a conversation, he doesn’t have friends. He is suffering from post-traumatic stress and that is a very real condition for our soldiers,” says the actor. Carter completed his mission to assassinate Sheikh Bin-Khalid (Eli Danker) but there’s a problem: Khalid’s USB data drive was stolen from a strongbox (a portable safe that is bombproof) and the information on the USB drive can be used to activate terror sleeper cells in the US. But there’s more: Eric’s military partner Ben Grimes (Charlie Hofheimer) has worse PTSD and he thinks that he’s still in the Middle East. He has the flashdrive and goes on the run – and given that he’s disgruntled with his former bosses for not taking care of him, Ben sees nothing wrong with selling the flashdrive to one of the many high-bidding bad guys. “This sounds improbable, but we spoke to real-life FBI agents and the way they made it sound, this is every- day stuff for them,” explains Corey.
NO FAIR FIGHT
While Carter can protect himself and handle firearms, he isn’t going to be allowed to run around shooting anyone in his way. He’s got to convince the Counter Terrorism Unit that the threat is very real and that the man he claimed he killed during his mission is still alive. “He comes across as a madman – no one believes him because his whole team saw him kill Khalid,” says Corey. Carter does have one ally helping him: Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto). She ran the Unit and knows that if Carter says Khalid is alive, then a terror attack is imminent. “He trusts her and she trusts him,” adds Corey, warning that a closer threat is in their way: “Khalid is a smart man. You think he didn’t pay off moles already?”