God bless you, Kiefer Sutherland. Despite being one of the baddest mother, um, the small screen has ever seen, and saving the world on a daily basis, you remain, so far, the most gracious of all panelists at Comic-Con 2008.
At the end of the 24 panel session with fans at today's Comic-Con, Kiefer made a point to give a huge heartfelt thank you to the fans, then standing up and giving us all a standing ovation, followed by the rest of the panelists. Video of that (and more) is coming soon, so stand by.
What else did we learn from the producers, Kiefer and the perfectly awesome Carlos Bernard, who is so back and so alive? Click in!
Tony Almeda Is Back! So what did Kiefer think when executive producer Howard Gordon told Kiefer they were considering bringing Carlos (Tony Almeda) back? "Obviously the idea for this story is that the real-time aspect was to be the real star of the show. So when [executive producer] Howard Gordon asked what I thought of bringing Carlos back, I said, 'Um, how?' And the way he came back was so extraordinary and unexpected and very 24 and so clever. So we went for it."
The Prequel Rocks: This is according to the thousands of fans who went bat-poop nutso over the the footage of the two-hour TV movie prequel that was shown in the panel, and also Kiefer himself. "This is arguably one of the best scripts we've ever had, and I thank Howard for that." The movie was shot entirely in Africa with a supporting cast of local actors, including a little African boy who will break your heart. "He's one of the most talented young actors I've ever worked with," Kiefer said.
Why Africa? "It was the only geographical block left to explore, to be honest," Gordon admits. "But also, the issue we're addressing this season is child soldiers and being there and doing research, it really opened our eyes. We're shooting a mini-documentary. And I hope this is an opportunity to open people's eyes to this issue."
No Movie for Now: "I think we've decided that while the TV show is on the air, we don't want to mess with a good thing," Gordon says. "But I think we're hopeful that when the show ends, it will happen."
Fun Fact: "All of the guns on the show are real," Kiefer explains. "That is why they look so real. They have a piece running down the middle so that they canot fire a real bullet and can only fire gunpowder."
Even Jack Bauer's Gotta Go: When asked the age-old question "When does Jack Bauer take a whizz?" Kiefer revealed, "[Executive producer] Jon [Cassaro] and I shot a scene once where Jack was raiding an office and went to the washroom door and then we saw him disappear for nine seconds and then return looking happy and relieved, but they cut that scene. So now, whenever they cut to the White House, just know that Jack is in the bathroom and having a drink and something to eat."
Check back a little later for video of Tony and Kiefer from the 24 panel, which should be definitely worth your time...