Hannah Stott, Sky News Online


Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed he will be returning as US special agent Jack Bauer for a movie version of hit TV series 24.


The final episode of the action drama ran in May when Bauer, after eight horrifying days, turned into a fugitive from justice and was being forced to escape the country he had suffered so much for.

The cliffhanger ending also undoubtedly left loyal fans guessing about the plot of a planned movie based on the show.

Sutherland said in a press conference in Japan that he and the filmmakers are planning to bring new elements to the 24 film.

Actors Annie Wersching, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kiefer Sutherland and Katee Sackhoff attend the season premiere for the eighth season of the television series '24' at Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on January 14, 2010 in New York, New York. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Annie Wersching, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kiefer Sutherland and Katee Sackhoff

"The main difference of the film will be that it will be a two-hour-presentation of a 24-hour-day. It will not be in real time, which will free the writers up greatly," he said.

"It is very feasible to fly from the United States to Japan, and still have a lot of stuff to do.

"We can never do that in real time because the flight is 14 hours, that would just not be very good watching".

No details, including the release date, were mentioned as the script is still in development.

24 premiered on US airwaves in November 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks in America, and over the course of eight seasons, its stories often echoed real-life events and controversies.