Kiefer Sutherland keen to start shooting 24 movie this spring

Kiefer Sutherland is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that shooting for the feature adaptation of 24 will begin this spring, according to reports.

The actor has made no secret that he’s keen to get the ball rolling on production, and according to the Huffington Pos t , Kiefer’s next hurdle is to help link a director to the proceedings:

“We’ve got a script that we’re very excited about, and we’re looking for directors right now,” he explained.

"We're trying to do this as quickly as possible so we're ready to shoot in May because there's a very small window between when I finish Touch and when I would start up again," Sutherland added. "So it's a juggling act right now, but I'm still cautiously optimistic."

Finding a director shouldn’t be a problem for America’s best counter terrorist operative, surely? The highly successful US TV series saw Sutherland play Jack Bauer, a rogue military operative, for eight seasons until the show finally wrapped in 2010.

Fans of the show have made no secret that the film adaptation is in high demand, and it’s still scheduled for a 2013 release, with Mary Lynn Rajskub the only other reported cast-member (as Bauer’s number one, Chloe).

Is it just us, or does it feel like the 24 movie could turn out to be something of a rushed job? If a director has to be found before the shoot starts in a couple of month's time, the eventual auteur won't have much in the way of preparation time...