Everything we know about The Day of the Jackal remake (original) (raw)

Iconic hit-man drama The Day of the Jackal is set to get the remake treatment, with the writer behind hit series Top Boy bringing this tense cat-and-mouse thriller to the small screen.

Based on Frederick Forsyth’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, The Day of the Jackal was famously adapted by Universal Pictures in 1973 in a movie starring British actor Edward Fox as the lead. Cut to 2024 and Top Boy creator and screenwriter Ronan Bennett takes the reigns as showrunner, enlisting a crack ensemble cast to reimagine Forsyth’s story in a mini-series format.

Read on to explore the exclusive case files for Bennett’s The Day of the Jackal remake...

When is The Day of the Jackal being released?

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne plays a hired hiller in The Day of the Jackal. (Sky)

The Day of the Jackal remake will start on Thursday 7 November on Sky Atlantic, with new episodes dropping weekly.

The mini-series will consist of 10 episodes, with Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire filmmaker Brian Kirk acting as its lead series director. For those without a Sky package on their telly, Sky Atlantic can also be accessed via a Now TV membership. Meanwhile, audiences in the United States can watch The Day of the Jackall on Peacock.

Is there a trailer for The Day of the Jackal?

Urban cityscapes, European backdrops and loaded weapons all feature in the first teaser trailer for Sky Atlantic’s The Day of the Jackal remake. At the centre of each of these elements is the Jackal himself — a slick and slippery hired killer chameleon who, according to the trailer’s narrator, “never looks the same way twice.”

Watch it below:

What happens in The Day of the Jackal?

James Bond star Lashana Lynch plays a detective hot on the Jackal’s tail. (Sky)

The Day of the Jackal follows a crack hit-man who spends his days selling his bloody services to the highest bidder. Known as the Jackal, he’s elusive, works alone and an expert at what he does.

However, after his latest kill is complete, his ruthless skills are suddenly put to the test when a determined British Intelligence officer makes it her goal to track him down and bring him to justice. What follows is a nail-biting game of cat-and-mouse which, according to the show's official synopsis, leads the duo on a "chase across Europe… leaving destruction in its wake.”

Who stars in The Day of the Jackal?

The Jackal is a master of disguise... but the walls are starting to close in. (Sky)

Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a brutal killer who has managed to survive his trigger-happy career by staying one step ahead of those out to get him. Unfortunately, things change for the Jackal when British Intelligence Officer Bianca, played by James Bond’s Lashana Lynch, decides to bring him to justice.

Money Heist’s Úrsula Corberó stars as Nuria, one of the few people that the Jackal allows into his personal life but somebody who remains in the dark about the true nature of his work.

Elsewhere, Game of Thrones actors Charles Dance and Richard Dormer appear as Timothy Winthrop and Norman respectively. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chukwudi Iwuji plays Osita Halcrow, while The Crown’s Lia Williams plays Isabel Kirby and The Kite Runner’s Khalid Abdalla plays Ulle Dag Charles.

The cast also includes The Walking Dead actor Eleanor Matsuura, Andor’s Jonjo O’Neill, Slow Horses star Nick Blood as Vince, Classified’s Sule Rimi and Eastenders’ Florisa Kamara.

The Day of the Jackal will be released on Sky Atlantic, Now TV and Peacock on 7 November.