Fox in talks for more '24' -- possibly without Kiefer Sutherland

Jack may not be back.

Following the success of 24: Live Another Day, Fox is mulling another installment of 24 that could be on the air as early as 2016, according to Fox Chairman and CEO Dana Walden. But there's a twist: Kiefer Sutherland may not be involved.

"We have discussed it with him," Walden told reporters at the TCA press tour. "We talk to Kiefer all the time. He's a great creative partner, potentially he won't be in this installment. We're not sure yet. We're not that far along, but I know he supports us doing more 24."

The news doesn't come as too much of a surprise since the actor recently expressed that he doesn't see himself returning to the franchise—he even looks at Live Another Day as closure for the character he's portrayed since 2001. And yet, this could all be posturing on Sutherland's part since actors tend to take this same stance when trying to make a deal happen. Case in point, Walden insisted Sutherland could be back in the future.

"First of all, we're not talking about continuing the show without him," she said. "We're talking about whether there's one installment that he's not in. I think if the storytelling is exciting enough, that real-time element that the show really owns–so many of the production aspects are so unique to that show–I do [think we could do it without him]. I think [it could be] great characters with that creative team. I look at everyone that's surrounded Kiefer in the last installment and I think it could work."

In fact, the pitch Walden and fellow Chairman and CEO Gary Newman heard for a potential new season did include a way to bring back Sutherland should he change his mind. "It was very early in the origin stages and it could've gone either way," she said. "Jack Bauer could come in very organically in the story, or [producers are] prepared to do something that would be the one installment without him."

More from Fox's press tour event:

— Fox's 'Grease' to star Vanessa Hudgens, Julianne Hough

— Joe Manganiello, Lea Michele and more join Ryan Murphy's 'Scream Queens'

— Fox 'X-Files' reboot talks (and would love more 'Prison Break' too)

— How Fox plans to fix 'Sleepy Hollow'

— Fox renews 'Gotham,' 'Empire' (after only two episodes!)