Kiefer Sutherland's set to follow-up his hit action series 24 with a 10-part webseries called
The Confession. Sutherland will star as a hitman discussing his profession with a priest (John Hurt), trying to rationalize why his victims deserved to die. The series will be written and directed by Brad Mirman (The Good Shepherd). Sutherland, speaking to
Entertainment Weekly:
"It came about in such a different way. I was meeting a couple friends of mine, who wanted to introduce me to Chris Young (CEO of Digital Broadcasting Group). I know so little about the internet, but that's what a lot of friends do for work. Most of that stuff being produced for the internet is comedy, very much like Jackass kind of material, which is great but didn't appeal to me. Chris started talking about wanting to do a drama, but his criteria was so different. A drama in five-minute episodes! It was one of those things, like a puzzle over the course of the lunch. It can't be that complicated to figure out a story in five minutes, right? I couldn't, and it frustrated the crap out of me. So I went home that night, still thinking about it, and it stayed with me for three days. I was falling asleep when I literally got this idea of a confessional. In all fairness, it looks fantastic. We shot it in the fifth-largest snow storm. It was pretty amazing. We called on a lot of favours. A dollar is a dollar. It gets you what you get. There's no way around that, so you're phoning dear friends for favours. None of us were paid what we normally get paid. Everybody found their own challenge in it, and that was the reason to do it. All of us believe very strongly that the internet is the future, the largest network in world, with the ability to reach a big audience."
Chris Young, CEO of Digital Broadcasting Group:
"The Confession sets a precedent for what is possible in original webisodic content. Never before has something of this magnitude and motion picture quality come to the third screen. I'm thrilled to be working with such A-list talent and top-tier sponsors to finally capture and crystallize the seismic shift in how content of this caliber is released, distributed and enjoyed by an audience that will rival that of a hit television series."
What do you make of this news? I've never understood the appeal of "webisodes" for existing TV shows, but something original (starring famous actors, designed for a 5-7 minute format) sounds a lot more interesting.