24: Legacy casts Homeland's Miranda Otto as former CTU boss

The actress joins Corey Hawkins who'll replace Kiefer Sutherland as the lead in Fox's reboot

Miranda Otto at Sundance Film Festival (Getty)

It's only been a matter of weeks since the Fox Network announced that the planned 24 reboot would go ahead without Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer - but the series has now scored a female lead in the form of Miranda Otto.

Otto will be playing Rebecca Ingram, the 'blazing smart' former head of the series' fictional Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) - amidst a terrorist threat, Ingram has second thoughts about leaving the agency.

Straight Outta Compton actor Corey Hawkins was announced as Sutherland's replacement earlier on this week; he'll be playing Eric Carter, a military hero who returns to the US to discover trouble has followed him.

The actress most recently starred as Allison Carr in the fifth season of Homeland which is produced by the team behind 24.

The Lord of the Rings actress was also due to star in HBO's upcoming sci-fi series Westworld, but dropped out last year.

24 ran for eight seasons from 2001 until 2010 before returning with a limited run in 2014, but there are no plans to induct any of the show's former characters into Legacy. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub - who played fan favourite Chloe from seasons three onwards - revealed on Twitter she knew nothing about the planned reboot.

The pilot will be written by returning stalwarts Evan Katz and Manny Coto and is expected to film this winter.

Events, as ever, will occur in real time.