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

The Jackal asks Zina for help dealing with Bianca and Vincent. Zina sends a hit squad to attack them outside the British embassy, but Bianca and Vincent kill the attackers. Nuria’s brother, Alvaro, takes a large amount of money and a gun from the Jackal’s vault for a business deal, observed by the Jackal covertly on camera. The Jackal, posing as an architect, continues deceiving Rasmus to gain access to the venue. A police officer identifies the Jackal from an identikit. Bianca and Vincent raid his former Airbnb, but he is staying with Rasmus. The Jackal infiltrates the venue and uses the building schematics Rasmus had given him to find a hiding spot, arriving before Ulle’s security team locks down the building two days ahead of time. As he waits, he reminisces about the beginnings of his relationship with Nuria. The launch begins, and the Jackal goes into position to fire his shot. However, seconds before he gets his opportunity, another assassin attempts to shoot Ulle, ruining the Jackal’s chance. He escapes but is forced to kill Rasmus in the process.

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

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