Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer is getting a new ally (or foe – it’s hard to tell with the show) in the form of Freddie Prinze Jr.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prinze has been cast in the upcoming eighth season of the real-time drama as a regular, playing a recently returned Marine named Davis Cole.

Cole now heads the field ops unit of the revived CTU in New York – and he’s also a big fan of Bauer’s, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of the butt-kicking counterterrorism agent.

Prinze is just the latest “24″ cast addition, joining fellow regulars Anil Kapoor (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Chris Diamantopoulos (“The Starter Wife”) and John Boyd (“Law & Order”). As previously reported, Kapoor will play a Middle Eastern leader, while Diamantopoulos will play the president’s chief-of-staff and Boyd will play a CTU analyst.

Recurring cast members so far include Jennifer Westfeldt (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as a journalist and Nazneen Contractor (“The Border”) as Kapoor’s daughter.

The show, which aired its season seven finale earlier this month, has started production on the new season, though fans will have to wait until January for the premiere.

Prinze rose to fame with roles in such movies as “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “She’s All That” and the “Scooby-Doo” films. He also starred in the ABC sitcom “Freddie” from 2005 to 2006.

Most recently, he voiced the title character in the 2008 animated movie “Delgo” and joined the WWE’s creative team in a behind-the-scenes role.

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2. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Actor Joins ’24′
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