Fans of Kiefer Sutherland's TV spy show "24" were delighted to see him signed to another three years; now they can look forward to seeing Jack Bauer take down bad guys in a "24" movie.

Sutherland, who won a Golden Globe for his role as CTU's hotshot counter-terrorism agent, told MTV that plans are in the works for a "24" film, and that a script is being written this very moment with a rather wide open window as far as plot, time and the restrictions of death go. If written as a prequel, fans may see the return of dearly departed characters that have died over the course of the show's five seasons.



Sutherland stars in "The Sentinel," out April 21

The star also gave assurances that a "24" movie does not necessarily mean the end of the series, which has been granted another three seasons; a big screen version may be released in tandem with ongoing airings of the upcoming episodes.

According to Sutherland, production may begin as early as next summer.

From MTV.com: ""I actually believe that they can co-exist," Sutherland said of the two projects. "The series can go and the films can go -- or film -- can go."

Leaving open the possibility of several big-screen Bauer missions, the veteran star then explained that the first "24" flick will not be 24 hours long but will instead offer a Reader's Digest-like summary of a whole new day from hell. "The '24' movie would be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day," revealed the actor, who also stars in the similarly themed drama "The Sentinel" later this month. "That would be the first time that we would not do something in real time, but the characters would obviously all be derivative of the show.""