24 - Season 9 - Jon Cassar confirmed to return, writers in talks (updated)

Howard Gordon, writer on 24 since Day One, showrunner of 24 seasons 5-8, creator/showrunner of Homeland and upcoming showrunner of 24: Live Another Day, got in touch with the following 24 veteran writers :

— David Fury (deal signed) : he's worked on one of the multiple versions of the two-hour pilot of Terra Nova, he worked on Fringe seasons 4 & 5, and he's currently working on Hannibal.
— Evan Katz : was the showrunner of The Event, worked on Awake, helped out on the Body of Proof retooling.
— Chip Johanessen : was the showrunner of Dexter season 5, working now on seasons 1 & 2 of Homeland.
— Manny Coto : he's been working on Dexter since season 5.
— Co-creator Robert Cochran : he hasn't done anything since he left his writing duties on 24, after episode 7.12.

"One day over dinner with Kiefer, I said, 'You know what? I'll do it, but only if we can get the old team back'. And as it happens, everyone is coming off a show or has got a deal wherein they’ve got some time. Some of them are on Homeland, so they can come in and pinch-hit. It’s thrilling to have it out there, but right now we’re at the very beginning of the process. I'm really just happy we have time to get the scripts right instead of the usual mad dash to September. It’s almost civilized".

Other members of the gang that Howard Gordon might try to snatch up include :

- Alex Gansa : he co-created Homeland with Howard Gordon and worked on it ever since.
- Brannon Braga : he created FlashForward and worked on the first three episodes of Terra Nova.
- Michael Loceff : he hasn't done anything since he left 24 during the Writers Strike (between eps 7.08 & 7.09).
- Stephen Kronish : he wrote all 8 episodes of the Kennedys miniseries.

- And Gordon could also contact co-creator Joel Surnow. Since he left 24 during the Writers Strike of November 2007-January 2008, he created the Kennedys miniseries, but he's also written and directed his first film, the upcoming Small Time, starring Christopher Meloni, Bridget Moynahan, 24's Dean Norris (yep, "Hank" was in episodes 2.15 & 2.16) and 24's Xander Berkeley (the wonderful George Mason in seasons 1 & 2).

All of them are credited on at least 20 episodes of the first eight days of 24 — except Braga and Gansa, who got to write respectively 16 and 10 episodes despite working only on seasons 7 & 8.

@mattcail all I can say at this point is, yes I am in talks to return to #24Liveanotherday

— Jon Cassar (@joncassar) 8 juin 2013

As for Jon Cassar, ever since he left 24, the Emmy Award-winning director (for episode 5.01) worked on :

- All 8 episodes of the Kennedys miniseries (of which he was an executive producer).
- 5 episodes of Terra Nova (episodes 1.03, 1.05, 1.07 & 1.12/1.13 - he was also was an executive producer).
- 1 episode of Human Target (episode 1.06, Lockdown).
- 1 episode of Touch (episode 1.10, Tessellations - thus reuniting with Kiefer Sutherland).
- 1 episode of Person of Interest (episode 2.02, Bad Code).
- 1 episode of Nikita (episode 3.13, Reunion).
- 2 episodes of Continuum (episodes 1.01 & 1.02, A Stitch in Time & Fast Times).
- 2 episodes of Revolution (episodes 1.05 & 1.15, Soul Train & Home).
- 2 episodes of Fringe (episode 2.06, Earthling, and the beyond amazing episode 5.06, Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There, which 24's David Fury wrote).

Cassar started on 24 by directing episodes 1.14 & 1.15, got promoted to executive producer in season 2, and went on to direct 55 more episodes between in seasons 2-7, usually directing 8-12 episodes each season. He also directed the two-hour movie Redemption, shot in South Africa. His contract was not renewed for season 8.

With 57 episodes and a TV movie, Cassar is obviously the one who directed the most 24 episodes, although Brad Turner came very close to achieving this number. He stopped at 46 episodes over seasons 3-8. Given the importance he had, Turner could also very well come back, though last week he was hired to direct multiple episodes of Howard Gordon's new TNT spy drama starring Sean Bean, Legends.

Milan Cheylov (two episodes directed in seasons 6, six episodes in season 7 and eight episodes of Day 8), Michael Klick (long-time assistant director who started to direct in seasons 7-8, currently producing Homeland) and Rodney Charters (24's director of photography from Day One currently working on Dallas who occasionally directs) would all be likely candidates to return for the filming of Day 9.


UPDATE : It's now official, Jon Cassar signed a deal to executive produce and direct multiple episodes of 24: Live Another Day, including episodes 9.01 & 9.02.

"I'm excited to call 'action!' again on the set of the resurrected 24. Considering I was not involved in Season 8, this gives me the chance for closure on a show that is very important to me".

Showrunner Howard Gordon added : "Jon was a profoundly integral part of 24 creatively and culturally. It doesn’t feel like it would be 24 without him, and we’re all just really thrilled to be working with him again".

Source.