Anil Kapoor to bring '24' to Indian television

Anil Kapoor, who appeared in the final season of popular US drama series 24, has signed a Rs100 crore deal with 20th Century Fox to remake the show for Indian television, taking the lead role of anti-terrorist agent Jack Bauer.

Bauer was played by Kiefer Sutherland in the original series, which depicts 24 hours in the life of the popular anti-terrorist agent. The show recently wrapped up in the US after successfully running for over eight seasons.

The Indian version of the show also marks Kapoor's debut on the small screen. Anil Kapoor Film Company will be adapting the series for Indian market with a new set of actors.

"It will be a great honour for me to play Jack Bauer. Kiefer has created an iconic character which has inspired me to bring the franchise to India. This will be my first foray to Indian television and I look forward to duplicating the standard of excellence Fox has so successfully created," Kapoor said in a statement.

Fox International president Marion Edwards said, "Anil's passion for the series goes back to his time as a guest star on the show, and we're excited to enable him to realise his vision of creating a new version of the series for his native India. We think this could pave the way for many more iterations of this brilliant series in other international territories down the road."

The actor has found himself a place in Hollywood with the worldwide success of Slumdog Millionaire. He made his American TV debut with 24, playing a middle eastern leader Omar Hassan. He followed it up by bagging a supporting role as Brij Nath in the upcoming Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, set for release on December 21, 2011.