Looks like those keen on extra "24" next season will be sadly disappointed.

Premiere interviewed actor Robert Carlyle who stars in the two hour prequel to air this Fall and he revealed that it won't be a separate movie after all - rather it will count as the first two episodes of the new season.

"This two hours is two hours in real time and there'll then be 22 episodes. I don't know how they connect it to the first of those 22 episodes but it's literally the third hour" he says.

Carlyle says he plays Carl Benton, Jack Bauer's former best friend whom he hasn't seen for a decade. "Jack's on his travels and he comes to see Carl and hang out with him and potentially change his life. Maybe."

Shooting of his scenes took place in South Africa's Stellenbosch region which doubled for jungle in the fictional country of Sangala.