Fox will premiere the first new regular episode of “24″ in nearly two years on Sunday, January 11, the network said Monday.

The seventh season of the real-time thriller will kick off with a two-hour episode, followed by another two-hour segment the next night. Fox used a similar rollout plan for 2007’s sixth season premiere in January 2007.

“Day Seven” opens with the Counter Terrorism Unit dismantled and federal agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on trial. Bauer’s day takes an unexpected turn when former colleague Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) returns after being presumed dead.

A two-hour prequel movie “24: Redemption” will give viewers a head start on the season when it airs on Sunday, November 23. The movie will feature Jon Voight, making his first series role in 40 years as Bauer’s latest uber-nemesis. The veteran actor will also be seen in subsequent regular episodes.

FOX had said the 7th season of its action drama “24″ would be delayed because of the writers’ strike till January 2009, but now it appears the show will be back a little sooner with a two-hour “prequel” to the upcoming season.
In previous years, FOX posted short season prequels online as part of marketing efforts to tout the January premieres of the show.

But since the last episode of the