It was said that recent budgetary and salary disputes between Sutherland and 20th Century Fox have caused the project to delay its filming, which is originally set to start this April.
- Mar 22, 2012
AceShowbiz - "24: The Movie" won't likely start its production in the near future. The Wrap has reported that the big screen take on Kiefer Sutherland's hit series has been pushed until 2013, despite the fact that it was scheduled to kick off filming this April.
After being long-delayed, the action movie project was set to start shooting next month after Sutherland completes filming his new TV series "Touch". However, it was reported that recent budgetary and fee disputes have put the project off schedule, forcing it to be postponed until next year.
"It didn't work out right now," a source close to the project revealed to the site. "Everyone is trying to figure out how to do it next year." 20th Centruy Fox's spokesperson has yet to release an official statement to clarify the report.
In early March, it was said that Sutherland and Fox had a dispute over budgetary and salary issues. Words are, Fox offered to pay the actor $1 million rather than the $5 million he requested. In another round of negotiations, the studio offered him $2 million.
The Wrap also reported that Fox wanted to develop the movie with $30 million budget. Sutherland and producer Brian Grazer, however, insisted that the project needed at least $40 million to produce.
The push-back report aside, Sutherland recently shared to CBS that he's been waiting to bring "24" to the big screen for so long. He said, "I have wanted this to happen for so long. As television is changing, I mean, I thought it should have been happening while we were making the show. It will happen when the time is right. There are so many variables."
The 45-year-old thesp elaborated, "We want the right director, the right actors. Everybody's schedules are up in the air. My schedule is so finite, given [my current show] - the window I have to make it. I have to kind of check my enthusiasm to make it at the door and make sure that we make the best film. We have to wait for those circumstances to be in line."
Sutherland is expected to return as Jack Bauer in the "24" movie. While details of the film are still scarce, the original TV series centers on the 24 hours in Bauer's life. It uses a real time method of narration. Each episode typically follows Bauer, officials in the U.S. government, and the conspirators behind the events of the day, often simultaneously.
As for the big-screen take on the hit show, "The Wolverine" screenwriter Mark Bomback has been tapped to polish the original screenplay, which was written by Billy Ray. The project still hasn't found a director to tackle the helming duty. Back in December, it was said that producer Grazer and Fox considered five filmmakers since Tony Scott bowed out the gig.
