Keifer Sutherland will follow up on the hit TV series ’24’ with a web series that will run on hulu.com in March, 2011. Entitled ‘The Confession’, the 10 five-to-seven-minute webisodes will feature Sutherland as a hitman who has a theological discussion with a priest played by John Hurt of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ about why his victims deserved to die. The series, which was written and directed by Brad Mirman of ‘Resurrection’ and ‘Body of Evidence’ fame.
“It came about in such a different way,” Sutherland says. “I was meeting a couple friends of mine, who wanted to introduce me to Chris Young. I know so little about the internet, but that’s what a lot of friends do for work. Most of that stuff being produced for the internet is comedy, very much like Jackass kind of material, which is great but didn’t appeal to me. Chris started talking about wanting to do a drama, but his criteria was so different. A drama in five-minute episodes! It was one of those things, like a puzzle over the course of the lunch. It can’t be that complicated to figure out a story in five minutes, right? I couldn’t, and it frustrated the crap out of me. So I went home that night, still thinking about it, and it stayed with me for three days. I was falling asleep when I literally got this idea of a confessional.”
‘The Confession’ was shot over nine days in New York last month, right before Sutherland began rehearsals for the Broadway show, ‘That Championship Season,’ co-starring Jason Patric and Chris Noth. Guess Jason and Keifer have patched things up since Julia Roberts left Keifer for Jason years ago.
Sutherland admitted, “None of us were paid what we normally get paid. Everybody found their own challenge in it, and that was the reason to do it. All of us believe very strongly that the internet is the future, the largest network in world, with the ability to reach a big audience.”
Young, who serves as the CEO of DBG, released this statement: “The Confession sets a precedent for what is possible in original webisodic content. Never before has something of this magnitude and motion picture quality come to the third screen. I’m thrilled to be working with such A-list talent and top-tier sponsors to finally capture and crystallize the seismic shift in how content of this caliber is released, distributed and enjoyed by an audience that will rival that of a hit television series.”
Keifer let ’24’ fans know not to worry since he working on a new TV concept: “We have a couple ideas we are working on that we are very excited about. ’24’ was a lot of work, it certainly had its ups and downs. But for so many reasons, it was one of the great experiences of my life. I miss the daily grind of it, which I was surprised about because that’s the one thing you complain about all the time. Be careful what you ask for!”
As for the big screen Sutherland says a version of ’24’ is still in the works and, in fact, he hopes to begin production within a year. Although Fox refused a script by Billy Ray, the movie remains “the little engine that could,” Sutherland says. He acknowledged that 20th Century Fox has been working with director/producer Tony Scott on the project. “Billy did a fantastic job and there are aspects of that story,” the actor says. “I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
With major work in Film, TV, Theatre, and the Internet going on all at once it is no wonder Keifer is thrilled. All he needs now is a radio show!
