Move over, Kiefer Sutherland: Jack Bauer has been replaced. Fox has cast Corey Hawkins in its new reboot, “24: Legacy,” in the role of Eric Carter.
Hawkins will be most familiar to audiences who saw him as Dr. Dre in “Straight Outta Compton,” but here are five others things to know about the man who will be taking over Bauer’s clockwatching.
1. He’s already a breakout star
Hawkins played the role of Dr. Dre in Universal’s hit hip-hop epic “Straight Outta Compton.” Jason Mitchell as Easy E and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. as Ice Cube also broke out as a result of the critically acclaimed film.
2. He’s classically trained
Hawkins clearly knew he wanted to be an actor from a young age. He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC before studying acting at Julliard, where he received the John Houseman Award for excellence in classical theater. In the 2013 Broadway production of “Romeo and Juliet,” which starred Orlando Bloom as Romeo, Hawkins played the role of Tybalt.
3. His movie career isn’t slowing down
He may be leading a high-profile TV series now, but his movie career is taking off at the same time. After “Compton,” Hawkins booked a role on “King Kong: Skull Island,” alongside “Compton” co-star Jason Mitchell. The film is part of the studio’s planned monster universe, giving him plenty of opportunity to be part of a franchise.
4. He’s not big on social media
There’s a verified Twitter account @CoreyHawkins, with over 6,000 followers, but no tweets yet. A Facebook page is slightly more active with over 22,000 followers, but aside from a “Skull Island” flyover photo, there’s not much to be found there other than official newsy updates on “Compton.”
5. His character is not a Jack Bauer redux
While Eric Carter will be kicking ass and asking everyone who they work for, his character had a harsher childhood than Bauer. Carter is described as having turned his life around in the Army Rangers. Now back home in Virginia with his wife Nicole, Carter is pulled back into action as his past comes looking for him. Carter will ask CTU for help, and in stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.