Here's a post I found from a 24 forum. Not sure how valid it is, but it could give a glimpse into the upcoming season.
Episode 5.1
Airdate - January, 2006
The scheduled production start date for season five is July 26th.
Preliminary plot information points to the season premiere beginning somewhere overseas.
I?m hearing that the season will start off with the terrorist bombing of a ?high-value target?. It?s unclear if the high-value target is a person or a building but it's looking more and more like a combination of both a prominent building and a high-ranking government official who will be among the many killed in the terrorist attack. There are several other scenarios I?ve heard rumblings about and every single one of them has the same concept of a terrorist bombing of a building with extremely strong international ties. They are also thinking about bringing back a former character to be among the many dead in the massive explosion.
The new season has already been in pre-production since April. New writers Manny Coto and David Fury are quickly getting accustomed to writing a real-time script. 24 has sought out the advice of novelist Richard Marcinko and he is playing an advisory role in the shaping of season five?s story. 24 sent out casting calls for a major female role in April and the role has already been cast but the actress hasn?t been revealed.
James Morrison (Bill Buchanan) just signed a deal to return in the shows fifth season as a series regular.
One of the new season five characters is named Craig Huxley. Craig is 15 and he lives in a small desert town, the type of place where people don?t ask questions and the type of place Jack Bauer could easily blend into. In the story the town is supposed to be around the city of Bakersfield, California; which is about 110 miles north of Los Angeles. Craig is a sophomore in high school and his mother is dating Jack. Craig and Jack don?t get along and Craig doesn?t want Jack around and he hates that Jack is dating his mother. Craig has an attitude and he isn?t afraid to speak his mind.
Another DVD exclusive prequel is in the works and it sounds like it?s going to be much longer that last seasons prequel which had about 5 minutes and thirty seconds of new footage. A ?24 minute? prequel is being discussed but the show would likely have to seek out a promotional sponsor to finance the project because of current budget issues.
Two years will have passed between Seasons 4 and 5. And get this: Doofus Veep Logan will be the official president when the show returns. For some inexplicable reason, producers love that little nimrod. Meanwhile, I think it's safe to assume Keeler died on the operating table.
It's kinda murky at this point, but I have it on good authority that Tochelle will have made good on their promise to quit CTU and pursue life as a boring married couple. "They're gone; they're out," says a source close to the show. "It's a real happy ending." But that's not to say Jack won't pull them back in when the going gets deadly.
What happens next on "24" is one of the most guarded secrets in Hollywood -- but Vince Flynn has some answers. The best-selling Twin Cities-based author of political thrillers like "Transfer of Power" and "Term Limits" spent a week in Los Angeles recently, helping creators of the unpredictable Fox drama come up with future story lines. He'll go back in late summer or early fall to help wrap up some of the stories and possibly even pen a script. Flynn wouldn't dare give away any major revelations but he did let slip that some major characters get blown up in next season's opener.
"We'll pick Jack up in a very different place, roughly a year later. Of course, the show is the show, so it won't be long before he's back in the saddle. But we'll explore a little bit of what he's been doing with his life and the situation he's gotten himself into. That will certainly have an impact on his behavior when he gets involved in the streets".
Kiefer Sutherland will be back for season five.
Mary Lynn Rajskub has reportedly inked a deal to be a main castmember for 24's fifth season.
Roger Cross (Curtis Manning) signed a two year deal last year so he should remain a main castmember in season five.