Twentieth Century Fox’s film and TV studios are conspiring to finally bring hit television series “24″ to the bigscreen.

The film side has hired scribe Billy Ray (“State of Play,” “Flightplan”) to pen the script for the feature version.

Ray’s pitch, which takes Jack Bauer to Europe, was a hit with Fox execs and producers of the high-concept television series.

Ray also wrote and directed “Breach” and “Shattered Glass.”

Script is said to have come through “24″ star Kiefer Sutherland, who’s also an exec producer on the series — and is said to be eager to turn the long-running TV skein into a feature franchise.

Feature would be produced by the TV show’s key exec producers, including Sutherland. Series was created by Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow, while exec producer Howard Gordon runs the show through his Real Time Prods. banner.

Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment, which produces the show along with 20th Century Fox TV, also would be involved.

Insiders cautioned that a “24″ feature is still very much in the preliminary stages. There are a number of factors influencing how quickly it moves ahead, including the fate of the TV show.

Fox doesn’t have a deal for a ninth season of “24″ and hasn’t yet decided whether to order another season. Insiders said the network is waiting to see this week’s ratings before making a decision, but the betting is that this season will be the final one.

Even if Fox winds up passing on another year of “24,” 20th Century Fox TV could shop the show to other nets. In that case, a feature might have to take a back seat.

The series’ producers have been kicking around the possibility of a feature adaptation for several years and came close to moving ahead on one several years ago.

But the prospect of shooting a film while the show was still on the air was daunting for the cast and producers. Critics and fans of “24″ have always enthused about how the show is produced like a feature — and the film studio would want to move most of the “24″ series crew to work on the film. That’s difficult to do while “24″ is in production, and hiatuses aren’t nearly long enough to shoot a movie.

The show’s producers did take advantage of the writers strike to make a TV movie, however: “24: Redemption,” which aired prior to the show’s seventh season in 2008, was nominated for five Emmys.

The allure of spinning a popular TV series into a bigscreen film is hard to ignore for studio execs, since there is a built-in audience and brand awareness; “24″ has also been a mammoth hit for the studio in foreign markets, which suggests that a feature adaptation would travel well.

The clock may be ticking on Kiefer Sutherland’s 24 contract, but don’t count out Jack Bauer just yet. Sutherland told reporters at press tour this afternoon that he’s “absolutely open” to sticking around for a ninth season.

“I’ve always said that as long as people wanted us to make it , and people were really interested in watching it, I would be interested,” he said. “There are a lot of components involved. Right now my focus is on finishing season 8.”

Fox honcho Kevin Reilly expects formal talks on Day 9 to commence next month. “Collectively, we just made a decision to launch the season [first] and then sit down in the next four to six weeks,” he tells me. “But my sense is Kiefer will want to keep it going.”

In the meantime, 24 exec producer Howard Gordon isn’t letting the uncertainty surrounding the show’s future affect how he ends season 8. “The way I’ve looked at it is that every single season [finale] could have been a series ender,” he says. “We just want to take it across the line credibly and then let the [other part] take care of itself. As long as Jack’s not dead, anything is possible.”

Green Seal, Inc. and the Environmental Media Association (EMA) announced today that FOX’s “24” will be the first production to receive the new EMA Green Seal Award. The new standard for green productions includes auditing, rigorous standards and is designed to promote sustainable practices in the entertainment industry.

EMA established the EMA Green Seal in 2004 as an award that recognized and praised film and television productions that incorporated green initiatives into production practices. Green Seal, Inc. and EMA recently officially partnered to continue their groundbreaking work in greening the entertainment industry. The revised EMA Green Seal program allows EMA and Green Seal, Inc. to simultaneously promote sustainable production methods and highlight those in the industry who make strides in incorporating these practices into both film and television production.

“We are so excited that ‘24’ is the first series to receive the new EMA Green Seal,” said Debbie Levin, President, EMA, in a statement to Access Hollywood.

“The producers, with the support of FOX and the cast, have been leaders in sustainable productions for many years, so it makes sense that they would be the first to qualify for the new EMA Green Seal.”

“I am so proud of the strides we’ve made in reducing the production’s carbon footprint,” commented ‘24’ executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon in a statement to Access. “Our cast and crew’s commitment to this effort has been extraordinary, and what surprised many of us was how easy it was to make small but really meaningful changes to the production process. We hope our example inspires other series to do the same and are happy to share the strategies we’ve learned with the dozens of TV productions shooting around town.”

“The producers of ‘24’ are to be commended for their commitment to sustainable productions, and we hope they will serve as a model as we begin to roll out the new EMA Green Seal,” said Green Seal CEO Dr. Arthur Weissman.

Who runs this town… Jack Bauer does bitch…