A little tidbit on the 24 two-hour TV movie that will be running this autumn as a way to hold us over ‘till the new season starts in ’09.

It looks like Jack is going to Africa after-all, which we talked about a long time ago when it was struck from the 24 timeline.

No longer.

CNN doesn’t seem to know that they are breaking this story as it is shelved at the bottom of an article about 24 mini-episodes called “Extraction.” If that was good and/or important, we would have told you.

“Jack Bauer is under Senate investigation for crimes against humanity,” Coto explains. But while in Washington, FBI agent Renee Walker brings him in to deal with a series of possible terrorist attacks instigated by former CTU agent Tony Almeida, previously presumed dead. “Jack’s thrust into this mystery of how Tony is still alive, and why is he trying to bring down this country?”

To further fill “24’s” gap this year, Coto says a two-hour “prequel” TV movie is expected to air this fall, which will bring Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer to Africa and “lead directly into the events of Season Seven.”

“He’s a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace,” Coto says. “But he winds up in Africa in the middle of a military coup.”

Meanwhile, Bauer is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate hearing while in Africa, but doesn’t want to go.

“He’s not running away from anything,” Coto says. “It’s because they’ve taken everything from him, but they won’t let them take his freedom.

To Africa this fall! In an attempt to un-jump the shark!