Our Day Of The Jackal Scoop Confirmed
Deadline has confirmed GFR’s scoop from last year about a Day of the Jackal remake, and the upcoming Peacock original series will see a premiere date on November 7, 2024. The remake, based on the Frederick Forsyth novel and Fred Zinnemann film of the same name, will see Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, and Ursula Corbero receiving top billing, and Ronan Bennett (Top Boy) taking on the role of showrunner for the series.
Directorial duties for The Day of the Jackal will be handled by Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones), and if Peacock’s official teaser is any indication, we’re in for a wild ride that not only pays proper tribute to the original classic but pushes its premise into new and exciting territory.
As the Day of the Jackal trailer illustrates, the upcoming series will be reimagined into a modern setting, using the contemporary political landscape to tell an exciting new story. Deadline previously reported that we’d possibly be seeing a feature-film remake based on the novel and the film adaptation that it inspired, but all signs are now pointing to the modern serialized drama in its place.
Taking on the role of the eponymous character, Eddie Redmayne will take center stage in The Day of the Jackal as the elusive and incredibly dangerous assassin who works alone while taking high-profile jobs from the highest bidders.
The Day of the Jackal will be produced by Universal International Studio’s Carnival Films (Downton Abby), with Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant of Carnival Films executive producing along with Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. Sam Hoyle of Sky Studios will also executive produce the series.
Taking on the role of the eponymous character, Eddie Redmayne will take center stage in The Day of the Jackal as the elusive and incredibly dangerous assassin who works alone while taking high-profile jobs from the highest bidders. Matters get complicated, however, when a British intelligence officer named Bianca (Lashana Lynch) decides that it’s time to track down and apprehend the Jackal, leading to an epic odyssey of destruction, deception, and political unrest as their cat-and-mouse game plays out across multiple episodes and locales.
While it’s clear that we won’t be seeing a 100 percent faithful adaptation of Forsyth’s novel, the trailer reveals a shared through line when it comes to how Eddy Redmayne’s character will operate on a fundamental level.
Like other adaptations of the classic political thriller novel, including Sibi Malayil’s Malayalam-language August 1 (1988), and the Bruce Willis-starring The Jackal (1997), The Day of the Jackal will be a tense exploration of just how far a lone wolf will go to elude authorities to get away with his crimes undetected. While it’s clear that we won’t be seeing a 100 percent faithful adaptation of Forsyth’s novel, the trailer reveals a shared through line when it comes to how Eddy Redmayne’s character will operate on a fundamental level.
In addition to The Day of the Jackal’s principal cast, it was announced back in February that Richard Dormer and Chukwudi Iwuji have been attached to the series. While we won’t be seeing an assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle in this context, it will be interesting to see what kind of hi-stakes operation will take place as the series progresses through its 10-episode run.
The Day of the Jackal series will see a Peacock premiere on November 7, 2024, and have a 10-episode run.
The original The Day of the Jackal, set in 1962, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Edward Fox has proven itself to be a timeless classic, boasting an intimidating 91 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes against an audience approval rating of 88 percent. Praised for its “tonal coldness” and compelling narrative, there are certainly some big shoes to fill with the upcoming series, and we hope that it lives up to the legacy and lasting impact of its decades-old predecessor and the loose adaptations that followed.
Source: Deadline
