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

Taken prisoner by the farmer Attila, the Jackal attempts to negotiate his release. When this fails, he kills Attila and his brother Gabor before taking farmhand Laszlo hostage to escape. Bianca’s team learn of the deaths and begin investigating. The Jackal calls Nuria to confess he might not make it home. She offers to help him by coming to Budapest. Ulle, preparing for the launch of River, faces pushback from his board, which he ignores. Arriving back in Budapest amidst a national manhunt for him, the Jackal releases Laszlo rather than kill him, threatening him into silence. Nuria arrives in the city and helps the Jackal disguise himself as an elderly wheelchair user to get through customs. Ironically, he is seated behind Bianca on the flight to Tallinn. Upon arrival, the Jackal lures and seduces Rasmus, a worker he previously met at the venue.

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

Video Link(s)