Kiefer Sutherland: 'Fingers Crossed' There Will Be '24' Movie

(AP) AP Interview: Sutherland talks up new show ‘Touch’
By ZARA YOUNIS
Associated Press
LONDON
Kiefer Sutherland admits he had no intention of going back to television after the action-packed “24” ended _ but that all changed when he read the script for “Touch.”

The U.S. actor was starring on Broadway in a play called “That Championship Season” when he was approached with the script for the science fiction drama.

He was ready to dismiss “Touch” until he found out “Heroes” writer Tim Kring was behind it and Peter Chernin, the head of 20th Century Fox when Sutherland started “24,” was producing it.

The 45-year-old was lured back to TV because, like “24,” the show gives audiences something fresh and unique: An international outlook. The first episode alone has scenes set in New York, London, Dublin, Tokyo and Baghdad and features actors from several countries.

So Sutherland is going from gun-wielding Jack Bauer in “24” to struggling single dad Martin Bohm in “Touch,” which centers on Martin’s relationship with his 11-year-old son, Jake, played by David Mazouz.

Wrongly diagnosed as autistic, Jake has never spoken, but has an obsessive connection to patterns and an ability to predict events around the world before they happen.

Mazouz was the first of over 30 children to audition but Sutherland says he knew instantly he was perfect for the part.

Unusually for a U.S. series, “Touch” will launch simultaneously in many countries around the world.

Sutherland is currently traveling around Europe promoting the program, a trip that has seen him visit London, Berlin and Madrid. The actor might be on a tight schedule but he did have time for a spot of shopping in London.

Once things settle in with the new TV show, Sutherland will also be squeezing in “24: The Movie.” He’s hoping to shoot the film later this year but there’s still the small task of finding a director.