Peacock has released the new trailer for The Day of the Jackal, a thrilling TV adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s iconic spy novel. The globe-trotting series features Eddie Redmayne as the enigmatic assassin known only as the Jackal, whose lethal skills make him an elusive and highly-paid hitman. But after his latest kill, he finds himself on the run, hunted by a tenacious British intelligence officer played by Lashana Lynch. What ensues is a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse, with their chase leaving a path of destruction across Europe.
Joining Redmayne and Lynch in the cast are Úrsula Corberó (Snake Eyes), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Richard Dormer (Fortitude), Chukwudi Iwuji (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Lia Williams (The Crown), Khalid Abdalla (United 93), Eleanor Matsuura (The Walking Dead), and Jonjo O’Neill (Pennyworth). The series is helmed by Ronan Bennett, who serves as writer and showrunner, with Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones) directing.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Redmayne shared his enthusiasm for reimagining the role of the Jackal in a more expansive format compared to the 1973 movie adaptation. “One of the things that appealed to me about doing this series was, in Edward Fox’s version—it’s two hours, that movie—Edward is so filled with charisma… and kind of wit and elegance, but you never get to learn anything about it,” Redmayne said. “I wanted to see if through this 10-hour thing, we could get to know someone, but always be second-guessing.”
He also spoke about how personal the original film was for him, describing it as “one of those movies that my family would watch again and again and again.” When the opportunity to take part in this new interpretation came, he found it hard to pass up. “And so I thought, wow, this is bold, that they’re going to try and reimagine this. And what I read, I just found completely thrilling and compelling, and at each moment it threw me off course and it kind of discombobulated me, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages,” Redmayne explained. “I hadn’t done television for a few years, but the idea of getting to spend a proper amount of time with this enigma felt like great material to mine.”
Fans can look forward to diving into the thrilling pursuit when the first five episodes of The Day of the Jackal premiere on Peacock on November 14th, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly, culminating in a double-episode finale on December 12th. UK viewers will get an early start, as the series will premiere on Sky on November 7th.
