’24′ movie faces delays… Or does it?

Is time running out for Fox's '24' movie? Jack Bauer himself might have something to say about that.

Yesterday Deadline reported that 20^th Century Fox had sidelined the long gestating "24" film indefinitely, much to the dismay of Bauer fans the world over. But just last night on "The Tonight Show," actor Kiefer Sutherland (who played the raging super agent and bane of terrorists everywhere for eight seasons) reassured fans that the film was still going to happen, but maybe not as quickly as they would like.

In the famous words of Jack Bauer, they simply "need more time!"

Sutherland's "24" character went to ground after the network cancelled the long-running action series, but the actor has been promising fans for years that the hero would return —- most likely for a big-screen adventure. The Wrap reported that disagreements between producers (of which Sutherland is one) over the potential budget for the film, the star's salary, and other issues like Sutherland's TV commitments have all allegedly contributed to the delays thus far. The on-again-off-again rumours don't appear to be helping matters, either; nevertheless, Sutherland seems determined to get the film made.

Filming was supposed to go ahead this spring (during Sutherland's hiatus from his current gig as the star of the Fox network's "Touch"), with the film slated for a 2013 release. Now it seems likely that filming won't even start until next year, if ever, with a release coming as late as 2014.

The real question is, at what point will audiences cease caring for the now long-absent counter-terrorist? "24" ended more than two years ago; practically a lifetime in Hollywood. Time may be running out on that clock.