The "prequel" to the upcoming new season (which premieres Jan. 11 and 12, 2009) will "bridge the gap between Seasons Six and Seven," according to a Fox release.

Keifer Sutherland heads the cast of the FOX event alongside Jones, Gil Bellows ("Ally McBeal"), Tony Todd ("Final Destination"), Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty") and Academy Award winner Jon Voight ("National Treasure: Book of Secrets"). "24: Redemption" was written by Howard Gordon and directed by Jon Cassar.

Set and shot on location in Africa, the show finds "Jack Bauer (Sutherland) on the African continent where he has sought solace in missionary work. He soon finds himself in the midst of a bloody uprising in the fictitious African nation of Sangala where a ruthless dictator is drafting innocent children to serve as soldiers in his army," read show notes. "Jack enters into a one-man crusade at the behest of his friend to rescue the children and get them to safety."

Jones (Doubt) takes on the role of President Allison Taylor. For the new season, she is joined by fellow stage veterans Colm Feore (Julius Caesar) as First Gentleman Henry Taylor, and Bob Gunton (Evita) as White House Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin. Also slated to return to the series are Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub and James Morrison with a slew of new cast members including Janeane Garofalo, Annie Wersching, Jeffrey Nordling, John Billingsley and Rhys Coiro.

The TV series follows one (rather eventful) day (the title referring to 24 hours) in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland). Each of the 24 continuous weekly episodes in a season shows what unfolds in one, real-time hour. A ticking clock occasionally appears, fueling the show's signature intensity. Jones, Gunton and Feore join a list of previous "24" guest stars who also have stage credits, including Jayne Atkinson (Enchanted April), Stephen Spinella (Angels in America), Jean Smart (The Man Who Came to Dinner), Peter MacNicol (Crimes of the Heart), Zeljko Ivanek (The Pillowman), Gregory Itzin (The Kentucky Cycle), Tamara Tunie (Julius Caesar), Logan Marshall Green (King Lear), Harry J. Lennix (Radio Golf), Lou Diamond Phillips (The King and I) and James Cromwell (Hamlet), among others.

For more information on "24," visit the official website at fox.com/24.