The Day of the Jackal (TV series) explained

Genre:
  • Action drama
  • Spy thriller
Creator:Ronan Bennett
Composer:Volker Bertelmann
Country:
  • United Kingdom
Language:
  • English
Num Series:1
Num Episodes:10
Producer:Christopher Hall

The Day of the Jackal is a British television series, based on the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name. It stars Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. It is written and created by Ronan Bennett, produced by Christopher Hall and directed by Brian Kirk, Anthony Philipson, Paul Wilmshurst and Anu Menon. In November 2024, the series was renewed for a second season to be produced.

Premise

Reimagined into a contemporary political setting, this series is based on a classic novel which centres on a ruthless British assassin, known only as the "Jackal", and the intelligence officer tasked with capturing him.[1]

Cast

Main

Special guest stars

Recurring

Production

The project for Carnival Films with Sky and Peacock was announced in November 2022.[2] The screenwriter Ronan Bennett was set as writer and showrunner, with Brian Kirk as the lead director,[3] followed by Anthony Philipson, Paul Wilmshurst and Anu Menon. Charles Cumming, Jessica Sinyard and Shyam Popat joined the writer's room in July 2022. Christopher Hall produced all episodes. Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, Ronan Bennett, Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant are executive producers.[4] The series is a reimagining of the source text with the story given a modern setting, with Redmayne describing it as "a completely different piece" that has "been reconceived and contemporised with a new target". The series also gives more of an insight into The Jackal as a protagonist and Redmayne said he chose the project because "the idea of getting to spend a proper amount of time with this enigma felt like great material to mine".[5]

On 22 November 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.[6]

Casting

Redmayne was revealed to be in the cast in March 2023.[7] In June 2023, Lashana Lynch joined the cast.[8] Additional casting including Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer and Chukwudi Iwuji was announced in February 2024.[9]

Filming

Filming for the series, taking place in four countries and expected to last seven months, was started in June 2023.[10] The shoot began in Budapest, Hungary and its neighbouring regions.[11] [12] Filming took place in Vienna in July 2023.[13] Filming took place in the autumn of 2023 in Croatia.[14] Croatian locations include Rijeka, Pag, Opatija, and the central Istrian region.[15]

Broadcast

The ten-episode series premiered on 7 November 2024, airing in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic and Now, and streaming on Peacock in the United States.[16] [17] NBCUniversal Global Distribution is distributing the series internationally outside of Sky's markets, airing through its agreements with Foxtel (Australia), Showcase (Canada), JioCinema (India), Showmax (Africa), TVNZ+ (New Zealand), Disney+ (Latin America) and SkyShowtime (Europe) among others.[18] Subsequent episodes will be released weekly, concluding with a double-episode finale on December 12.[19]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Day of the Jackal has an approval rating of 82% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "A globetrotting thriller made eerily plausible by Eddie Redmayne's reptilian performance, The Day of the Jackal turns dark deeds into good fun."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Eddie Redmayne To Lead 'The Day Of The Jackal' Series For Peacock & Sky. April 25, 2023. Hollywood Deadline. Peter. White. March 21, 2023.
  2. Web site: November 3, 2022. 'Day of the Jackal' Spy Thriller to Be Reimagined as TV Series for Peacock, Sky. Manori. Ravindran. Variety. April 25, 2023.
  3. Web site: Collider. The Day of the Jackal' TV Series Adaptation Ordered at Peacock. Shiristy. November 3, 2022. April 25, 2023.
  4. Web site: Eddie Redmayne to Lead 'Day of the Jackal' TV Adaptation for Sky, Peacock. Hollywood Reporter. Alex. Ritman. March 21, 2023. April 20, 2023.
  5. Web site: Radio Times. 1 October 2024. Eddie Redmayne confirms changes to Day of the Jackal reboot from original. Morgan. Cormack. 30 September 2024.
  6. News: Porter. Rick. 'Day of the Jackal' Renewed for Second Season at Peacock and Sky. The Hollywood Reporter. 22 November 2024. 22 November 2024.
  7. Web site: Eddie Redmayne Starring In Day Of The Jackal TV Adaptation. Empire. March 21, 2023. April 20, 2023.
  8. Web site: Lashana Lynch Joins Eddie Redmayne in 'Day of the Jackal' Series at Sky, Peacock (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. 7 November 2023. 2 June 2023. Joe. Otterson.
  9. Web site: Szalai . George . Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer Join Eddie Redmayne in The Day of the Jackal Series . . 23 February 2024 . February 23, 2024.
  10. Web site: Eddie Redmayne's The Day of the Jackal begins European shoot. kftv. 7 November 2023. Priyanca. Rajput. 19 June 2023.
  11. Web site: 7 November 2023. 2023 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK: latest updates, strike status. screendaily.com. 8 November 2023.
  12. Web site: Nemzet . Magyar . 2023-08-16 . Hollywood Magyarországon: híres krimi forog Selypen és Zagyvavásztón . 2023-11-07 . Hollywood Magyarországon: híres krimi forog Selypen és Zagyvavásztón . hu.
  13. Web site: verena.richter . 2023-07-26 . Star Eddie Redmayne dreht für Sky gerade heimlich in Wien . 2023-11-07 . kurier.at . de.
  14. Web site: Eddie Redmayne stars in first look at new show from Top Boy boss. 7 November 2023 . Joe. Anderton. . 7 November 2023.
  15. Web site: Eddie Redmayne to Film 'The Day of the Jackal' Sequel in Croatia, Starting in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik Times. 7 November 2023. Mark. Thomas. September 19, 2023.
  16. Web site: The Day of the Jackal release date, plot and trailer for Sky remake . 2024-11-01 . Radio Times . en-GB.
  17. Web site: See Eddie Redmayne in 'The Day of the Jackal' first-look teaser trailer . 2024-07-28 . EW.com . en.
  18. Web site: Barraclough . Leo . 2024-10-24 . Eddie Redmayne Thriller 'The Day of the Jackal' Sold to Nearly 200 Territories by NBCU (EXCLUSIVE) . 2024-11-01 . Variety . en-US.
  19. Web site: 2024-11-05 . How to Watch The Day of the Jackal Series from Anywhere . 2024-11-13 . howtostream.ca . en.
  20. the_day_of_the_jackal. The Day of the Jackal. tv. 1. November 8, 2024. y.
  21. the-day-of-the-jackal. The Day of the Jackal. tv. 1. November 8, 2024. y.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Day of the Jackal (TV series)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.