Fox’s “24″ officially runs out of time

Television executives have managed to do what countless terrorist organizations could not: They’ve canceled Jack Bauer.

Fox’s “24″ will end after its current season, the long-running show’s eighth, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The final episode will air in May.

Ratings for this season have declined 16 percent to a 3.8 in the “Adults 18-49″ category. While that is a decent audience pull, it’s not quite enough to justify the production’s ballooning budget. Sources close to the show also cite creative bankruptcy, as unstoppable counter-terrorist agent Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has run out of world-ending threats.

Changes of scenery haven’t helped, as the show shifted its action from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. (in Season 7) and New York City (in Season 8). But “24″ might have one more move in its pocket. Showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon tells the Hollywood Reporter that a theatrical film that takes Bauer to Europe is still being discussed.

“There are other possible iterations of Jack Bauer and his world,” Gordon said.