Corey Hawkins
"The Walking Dead" actor Corey Hawkins, pictured here at the Los Angeles premiere of "Straight Outta Compton" on Aug. 10, 2015, has officially been cast as the new lead in Fox's "24" reboot series. Getty Images

There’s good news and bad news for fans of Fox’s “24” as the show will be returning with an impressive lead character, but that character won’t be Jack Bauer. For its recently announced reboot of the hit real-time action drama, the network has tapped the talents of a brand new young star.

According to The Wrap, Fox has officially cast “Straight Outta Compton” star Corey Hawkins to play the new lead character in its “24: Legacy” pilot. The Juilliard-trained actor played Dr. Dre in the critically acclaimed 2015 film, and most recently made the jump from film to TV as Heath on Season 6 of “The Walking Dead.” Now he’ll bring his talents to the reboot as the lead character, Eric Carter.

According to the outlet, the network describes Eric Carter as a strong and smart young man from a rough background. He turned his life around thanks to his time with the Army Rangers and now finds himself back home in Virginia with his wife when the series begins. Things are going well until he’s pulled back into the world of anti-terrorism when his past somehow comes calling. He’ll have to turn to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) for help saving his own life and stopping one of the largest attacks on U.S. soil in American history.

Fox had been toying with the idea of a “24” reboot without the principal star, Kiefer Sutherland, for quite some time before finally announcing it at the 2016 Television Critics Association press tour earlier this month. Manny Coto and Evan Katz will write the script along with veteran “24” producer Howard Gordon, who will act in a supervisory role, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“Obviously we would love to have Kiefer [Sutherland] and we went to him first,” Fox chairman and CEO Gary Newman told reporters. “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.”

There’s currently no word on when “24: Legacy” will arrive on Fox, but Hawkins can be seen next in the second half of “The Walking Dead” Season 6, which kicks off on Feb. 14. What are your thoughts on the new Jack Bauer? Comment below or tweet your thoughts to @TylerMcCarthy?

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