“24” Showrunner's Next Project Will Have Strong “Deer Hunter” Overtones

With the status of “24” still up in the air for next season, the show’s executive producer Howard Gordon isn’t taking any chances. He’s already slated to begin writing a new series tentatively called “Patriots” for Fox’s production company, based on an Israeli show called “Prisoners of War.” From Hollywood Reporter:

The acquisition and Gordon's involvement underscore the growing popularity of Israeli formats, which have become a hot TV commodity in Hollywood…

The American version will revolve around three U.S. soldiers presumed killed during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 who are found in a cave 10 years later.

"They come home greeted as heroes, but they are traumatized by the treatment there, and their families have become collateral damage to their captivity," said Gordon, who exec produces the project with Gansa, Gideon and Keshet's Avi Nir.

There will be some mystery about what happened during their years in captivity and the possible threat one of the soldiers might present, Gordon said of the project, whose genre he describes as "suspense, psychological drama."


The subject of soldiers coming home from war has been covered in plenty of movies and TV shows over the years, most notably in “The Deer Hunter” and more recently in “Brothers.” It’s interesting that Gordon chose this particular project, which deals with the emotional fallout of violent conflict, after working on “24,” a show where the lead character tortures first and asks questions later. I’ll be very interested to see what Gordon does with the subject matter, and without the confines of having to keep his story in real time. Also, I hope stuff blows up.

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