Producers are working on a two-hour bridge between the sixth and seventh seasons

Fans of FOX's '24' may not have gotten their dose of Jack Bauer this year, but they may not need to wait until next January for new adventures.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "24" producers are developing a two-hour prequel to bridge the gap between the show's sixth and seventh seasons. The trade says that the prequel would air in the fall ahead of the expected January 2009 premiere for the new season.

That means that 2008 wouldn't be entirely Bauer-free after all, which seemed like a strong possibility after the now-settled writers strike halted production on the new season just eight episodes in. Rather than split the highly serialized drama into chunks, FOX made a quick post-strike announcement that there would be a two-year gap between the broadcast of original "24" seasons.

Since the show's fourth season in 2005, "24" has premiered in January and aired 24 episodes without repeats through May, a strategic shift that has proved a boon for the show's ratings.

The prequel would be able to lay the groundwork for what is expected to be a very different season of "24." The seventh season will move the action from Los Angeles to Washington and will force Kiefer Sutherland's Bauer to operate without his familiar CTU backdrop. Among the new characters to be introduced are Tony winner Cherry Jones as the first female President of the United States.

The trade paper has no word on when the prequel would be produced and which actors might participate.

Writing has resumed on the seventh season of "24" with veteran showrunner Howard Gordon in charge. The series had a bit of a creative shake-up in February when co-creator and long-time executive producer Joel Surnow left the show to go work on other projects.