Introduction

The Day of the Jackal is a British spy thriller 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. The first series began airing in November 2024.

That same month, it was renewed for a second series.

Outline

Bianca uses a recovered suitcase from Norman’s location to prove that he made a collapsible sniper rifle that could be smuggled through customs. Her superiors, Isabel Kirby and Osita Halcrow, keep her on the investigation. MI6 fixer Carver begins investigating the source of the Belarus leak, with Bianca, her colleague Damian, Kirby and Halcrow under suspicion. In Germany, the Jackal calls Nuria, who confronts him about her sighting of him. He attempts to prove he is not having an affair, but Nuria remains suspicious. With the help of her mother and brother, she searches the Jackal’s home office. They find a hidden vault. Alison and her husband Larry arrive in London to identify Emma’s body. Alison angrily rebukes Bianca whilst Norman contacts Larry, learning what happened to him. Larry confronts Alison and assaults her upon learning that she is a mole. The Jackal infiltrates Manfred’s funeral and abducts Elias to confront him before shooting him dead. Following a lead, Bianca discovers the assassin’s codename: Jackal. Nuria and her family break into the vault, which the Jackal sees via CCTV as he leaves Germany.

The Day of the Jackal Series

You can find an overview and episode guide for The Day of the Jackal here.

Remakes

• The Day of the Jackal (1973): A political thriller film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale.
  • Based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth, the film is about a professional assassin known only as the “Jackal” who is hired to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1963.
• August 1 (1988): An Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Sibi Malayil, written by S.N. Swamy, and starring Mammootty, Sukumaran, Captain Raju and Urvashi.
  • This adaptation relocates the story to the Indian state of Kerala.
• The Jackal (1997): An American film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, written by Chuck Pfarrer, and starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and Diane Venora.
  • Forsyth, Woolf, Zinnemann and Fox opposed the production and filed an injunction to prevent Universal Pictures from using the name of the original novel and film, and it would be marketed as being “inspired by” rather than directly based on Forsyth’s novel.
  • The film does not credit Forsyth’s novel as source material, and only credits Kenneth Ross with “earlier screenplay.”

Production & Filming Details

• Release Date: 07 November 2024.
• Running Time: 46-61 minutes (per episode).
• Rating: TV-MA.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)