'24: Legacy' release date, cast news: Carlos Bernard returns as Tony Almeida
A fan-favorite character from "24" is coming back for "24: Legacy," Fox's upcoming reboot of the serial drama.
TV Line has confirmed that "24" alum Carlos Bernard, who played the former CTU analyst Tony Almeida, will reprise his role in "24: Legacy." The character is said to appear on a recurring basis in the special limited event.
As fans of "24" know, Almeida was Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) frenemy who appeared to have been killed off in the original show's fifth season. However, he re-emerged in season 7 and was rebranded as a villain. In the season 7 finale, Almeida was seen being hauled off to prison.
In 2014, "Solitary," a story extension included in the "24: Live Another Day" Blu-ray set, showed Almeida's life in solitary confinement. It ended with the revelation that the villain was plotting his prison escape.
"Tony Almeida is one of the most indelible personalities in the '24' universe, at times loyal and loving, other times an utterly amoral, ruthless mercenary," "24: Legacy" co-showrunners Manny Coto and Evan Katz said in a statement. "Carlos Bernard has done an amazing job portraying this dark and conflicted character, and we couldn't be more thrilled with his return to the show," they continued.
TV Line noted that while Bernard is the first "24" alum to be confirmed for "Legacy," he probably won't be the last.
Meanwhile, at the "24: Legacy" panel at the New York Comic Con last weekend, Coto and Katz explained that the upcoming reboot is rooted in the same universe as "24."
"This takes place in the '24' universe," Coto confirmed. "It's all one big world for us," he added.
The co-showrunners also revealed that the characters from "24" still exist somewhere in "24: Legacy." "We were in London three years ago, and Jack was carted off to Moscow," Katz said, referring to the "Live Another Day" limited event. "The show assumes the story line is still going on over there somewhere," he explained.
"24: Legacy" will star "The Walking Dead" alum Corey Hawkins as Eric Carter, a former Army Ranger who seeks help from the CTU upon his return to the U.S.
The 12-episode miniseries will premiere after Super Bowl 51 on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, before moving to its regular time slot of Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT the following night.