Eddie Redmayne has been branching out like few others since winning his Oscar. This year, Broadway goers can see him as the Emcee in Cabaret, and he’s hitting the other side of the entertainment spectrum by climbing aboard the spy-streaming craze that has been dominating for years with more to come. This Redmayne-starring project, however, will put a modern spin on a 1970s classic film, The Day Of The Jackal. Here’s what we know thus far.
Plot
The Day of the Jackal will be a 10-episode action-thriller series, which hasn’t yet been formally declared a limited series, so we shall see where that loose end goes. Eddie Redmayne will portray the titular Jackal, a lone-wolf who assassin who is being hunted by an MI6 agent (Latasha Lynch). The Yellowstone creator is making the series for SkyShowtime (it will stream elsewhere in the U.S.), and of course, the Jackal isn’t truly by his lonesome.
According to Hollywood Reporter, a character named Nuria (Ursula Corberó) will surface as “someone at the heart of The Jackal’s personal life, entirely unaware of who he truly is.” Also, this show is certainly not planning to simply rehash and lengthen the feature film’s take on the subject matter:
The Day of the Jackal is being billed by the producers as a “bold, modern reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film.” While staying true to the DNA of the original story, which was set in 1962 and based on attempts to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle, this contemporary drama will delve deeper into the chameleon like “antihero” at the heart of the story in a “high octane, cinematic, globetrotting ‘cat and mouse’ thriller,” set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time.
Sky Studios is aiming for the sky with this series, which CEO and chief content officer Cécile Frot-Coutaz has called “probably one of the most ambitious or large-scale production that we’ve mounted.”
Cast
Eddie Redmayne headlines as the Jackal with Latasha Lynch as Bianca. The series co-stars Sule Rimi, Chukwudi Iwuji, Stuart Whelan, Christy Mayer, Florisa Kamara, Ben Hall, Lia Williams, Khalid Abdalla, Eleanor Matsuura, Jonjo O’Neill, and Martin McDougall.
Release Date
The series will stream on SkyShowtime across the pond and presumably Peacock in the U.S., although that final detail hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Trailer
Since no trailer has surfaced yet, here’s the 1973 film’s trailer for the heck of it, and if you are so inclined, the film is available to rent on Prime Video (Amazon).
