Jack Bauer is passing the torch stopwatch.

Fox is developing a 24 spinoff that would revolve around a new twentysomething male terrorist hunter, but the intention would be for Kiefer Sutherland‘s Jack to weave in and out as a guest star, franchise overlord Howard Gordon confirmed to TVLine Sunday at the Critics Choice Television Awards.

The project would find the new male antihero working alongside an older, more seasoned female agent (not Yvonne Strahovski’s Kate Morgan, although she also may appear). It would also launch as a limited series, similar to last year’s acclaimed 24: Live Another Day, but I’m told the offshoot could easily become a long-term property for Fox.

24: LAD vets Manny Coto and Evan Katz will serve as writers and EPs.

Last month, Gordon told Yahoo TV that the spinoff would maintain the “real-time concept” and that the story “is in the tradition of 24.”

"I’m not coming back to do 24 because there are other things I want to do. And when they said limited-series run, I meant it. But I’ve always felt, from Season 1 on, that 24 is such a great idea that this can go on forever. I think if you create a new cast or other characters in the telling of this story, it will bring a freshness. And let’s face it, there’s only so many bad days one can have before the show becomes a mad comic. And what I don’t want it to be is a mad comic…it doesn’t rule out to one having a cameo."

And let’s face it, there’s only so many bad days one can have before the show becomes a mad comic. And what I don’t want it to be is a mad comic…it doesn’t rule out to one having a cameo."

A reboot of 24 is still in development, according to Fox chairman and CEO Gary Newman, who offered an update to reporters during the network’s summer press tour.

Manny Coto and Evan Katz are writing the script, with longtime 24 producer Howard Gordon supervising. Though the network hasn’t seen the script yet, Newman said it will center on a new character in the absence of of Jack Bauer. Not that they didn’t try.

“Obviously we would love to have Kiefer [Sutherland] and we went to him first,” said Newman. “It isn’t something he wants to do at this point, but he encouraged us to continue and look for a way to bring the show back.” The network has been weighing the possibility of a Kiefer-less 24 since January.

The familiar clock will be chiming once again in the new series, but as for familiar characters, Newman admitted, “Honestly I don’t know whether we’ll see any old characters or not. It would not surprise me if it’s a total reset in terms of the characters.”