Reimagined into a contemporary political setting, this series is based on a classic novel which centres on a ruthless British assassin, known only as the "Jackal", and the intelligence officer tasked with capturing him.[1]
Cast
Main
Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal, an internationally renowned assassin who utilises a variety of disguises and aliases
Lashana Lynch as Bianca Pullman, an MI6 agent, firearms expert, and former police officer in Section 303 who begins investigating the Jackal
Úrsula Corberó as Nuria, the Jackal's Spanish wife who knows him as Charles Calthrop
Chukwudi Iwuji as Osita Halcrow, a senior MI6 official in Section 303 and Bianca's direct boss
Khalid Abdalla as Ulle Dag Charles, a Palestinian-Estonian billionaire tech entrepreneur and activist who becomes the Jackal's target
Lia Williams as Isabel Kirby, the MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff, Pullman and Halcrow’s superior in Section 303
Eleanor Matsuura as Zina Jansone, a liaison between the Jackal and her employer, Winthrop
Sule Rimi as Paul Pullman, an academic lecturer and Bianca's husband
Ben Hall as Damian Richardson, an MI6 agent and colleague of Bianca's in Section 303
Jonjo O'Neill as Edward Carver, a 'fixer' within MI6, investigating suspected leaks in Section 303
Charles Dance as Timothy Winthrop, a powerful financier and the Jackal's latest employer
Nick Blood as Vincent Pyne, an MI6 protection agent, former police and NCA officer and old friend of Bianca's
The Jackal, a highly effective assassin, stages a false flag attack to wound Elias Fest, the son of far rightGerman Chancellor candidate Manfred Fest. This draws the senior Fest into a hospital visit where the Jackal assassinates him with a record distance sniper rifle shot. Reviewing the footage of the Jackal leaving the scene, MI6 firearms expert Bianca realises he used a sniper rifle with a collapsable barrel. She theorises it was made by Northern Irish gunsmith Norman Stoke. Following the Fest assassination, the Jackal is contacted by an anonymous source, who offers him $10 million for a job. At an in-person meeting with the contact, Zina Jansone, the Jackal learns the target is tech mogul Ulle Dag Charles (UDC). The Jackal demands $100 million to kill such a high-profile and well-protected target. After returning home to his wife Nuria, the person who commissioned the Jackal to assassinate Fest refuses to pay him. Meanwhile, Bianca attempts to force her Belfast contact, Allison, to find Stoke. When she is unsuccessful, Bianca has Allison's activist daughter, Emma, arrested. However, the plan backfires when Emma goes into cardiac arrest in custody.
2
"Episode 2"
Brian Kirk
Ronan Bennett
7 November 2024 (2024-11-07)
14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)
Emma dies from her cardiac arrest. Bianca covers up her death to force Allison to find Norman. Using his alias Charles, the Jackal spends time at his home in Spain with Nuria and their son Carlito. However, he is forced to leave early when he receives a lead on the source of the withheld payment for the Fest assassination. After dropping the Jackal at the airport, Nuria spies him by chance after he visits his bank, leading her to assume he is having an affair. Upon re-arriving in Munich, the Jackal is forced to divert to meet with Zina again, who confirms that her employer, Timothy Winthorp, has agreed to the Jackal's terms. However, she also informs him that the assassination must be completed within the month before UDC can launch revolutionary new software to expose dark money worldwide. The Jackal agrees. After further investigation in Munich, the Jackal discovers Elias Fest was the one who hired him and is refusing to pay him after being shot. Meanwhile, pursuing her investigation of the assassin, Bianca theorises he is British and former British Army. Allison obtains Norman's phone number, and Bianca is deployed to Belarus to arrest him. The operation goes awry, though, and Norman kills two of Bianca's colleagues before escaping, leading Bianca to believe he was tipped off.
3
"Episode 3"
Brian Kirk
Ronan Bennett
7 November 2024 (2024-11-07)
14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)
In the aftermath of the Belarus operation, Bianca uses a recovered suitcase from Norman's location to prove 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 and Kirby and Halcrow under suspicion. In Germany, as the Jackal prepares to infiltrate Manfred Fest's funeral to reach Elias, he calls Nuria. She confronts him about her sighting of him. He attempts to prove he isn't having an affair, but Nuria remains suspicious. With the help of her mother and brother, she searches Charles' home office. They find a hidden vault. Allison and her husband Larry arrive in London to identify Emma's body. Allison angrily rebukes Bianca whilst Norman contacts Larry and reveals what happened to him. Larry confronts Allison and assaults her upon learning she's a mole. The Jackal infiltrates Manfred's funeral and kidnaps 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.
4
"Episode 4"
Anthony Philipson
Ronan Bennett
7 November 2024 (2024-11-07)
14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)
Returning from Munich through France, the Jackal gets into a minor car accident and is forced to kill a motorist and police officer to escape. MI6 become aware that the Jackal has been hired again, although they are unaware of the target's identity. Investigating the Jackal further, Bianca finds that the only British Army veteran capable of making the shot, Alexander Duggan, is thought dead from an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2013. The Jackal convinces Nuria to join him in Paris, where he claims he is a troubleshooter engaging in corporate espionage, winning her trust. Despite concerns about blowback from Elias' murder for the UDC job, Winthrop and his conspirators decide to retain the Jackal's services. Meanwhile, Larry kills Allison and draws Bianca into a trap. She narrowly escapes with the help of protection agent Vincent Pyne, who is later reassigned to her team. She returns home to find Larry has taken her daughter Jasmine hostage. Bianca shoots and wounds Larry and is only refrained from killing him by Jasmine. The Jackal arrives in Tallinn to commence preparations, nearly falling to his death when scouting the venue for UDC's software launch. Returning to his hotel room, he finds Zina has tracked him down.
5
"Episode 5"
Anthony Philipson
Jessica Sinyard
7 November 2024 (2024-11-07)
14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)
In Tallinn, the Jackal is forced to include Zina in his planning. In Spain, Nuria grows more sceptical of Charles' story. The Jackal contacts Norman to craft a weapon for the UDC assassination. However, as Norman was wounded escaping Bianca, the Jackal travels to Budapest to help him assemble the gun. They build the weapon with a 3D printer to hide in an orthopedic boot. Norman confesses he was helped to escape by someone in MI6. Back in London, in the aftermath of Larry's attack, Bianca's husband and daughter leave home. Bianca and Vincent torture Larry for Norman's location. Learning Norman is in Budapest, Bianca also uncovers that UDC is the Jackal's target. MI6 tracks Norman's location, prompting Bianca and Vincent to arrive in Budapest. The Jackal sees them approaching Norman's workshop and warns him, but Norman is captured. The Jackal is forced to kill him to cover his tracks before narrowly escaping Bianca's pursuit. However, he is knocked out by a farmer whilst hiding in a barn.
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. UDC, preparing for the software launch, 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 a wheelchair-bound old man to get through customs. Ironically, he ends up seated behind Bianca on a flight to Tallinn. Upon arrival, the Jackal lures and seduces Rasmus, a worker he previously met at the venue.
7
"Episode 7"
Paul Wilmshurst
Shyam Popat
21 November 2024 (2024-11-21)
28 November 2024 (2024-11-28)
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 €40,000 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. He infiltrates the venue and hides in the ventilation shafts before UDC’s security team lockdown the building. 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. Flashbasks reveal that he is indeed a British citizen and is also a former soldier in the British Army with combat experience in either Africa or the Middle East. However, seconds before he gets his opportunity, another assassin attempts to shoot UDC, ruining the Jackal’s chance. He escapes, but is forced to kill Rasmus in the process.
8
"Episode 8"
TBA
TBA
28 November 2024 (2024-11-28)
5 December 2024 (2024-12-05)
9
"Episode 9"
TBA
TBA
5 December 2024 (2024-12-05)
12 December 2024 (2024-12-12)
10
"Episode 10"
TBA
TBA
12 December 2024 (2024-12-12)
12 December 2024 (2024-12-12)
Production
The project for Carnival Films with Sky and Peacock was announced in November 2022.[4] The screenwriter Ronan Bennett was set as writer and showrunner, with Brian Kirk as the lead director,[5] followed by Anthony Philipson, Paul Wilmshurst and Anu Menon. Charles Cumming, Jessica Sinyard and Shyam Popat joined the writer's room in July 2022. Christopher Hall produced all episodes. Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, Ronan Bennett, Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant are executive producers.[6] The series is a reimagining of the source text with the story given a modern setting, with Redmayne describing it as "a completely different piece" that has "been reconceived and contemporised with a new target". The series also gives more of an insight into The Jackal as a protagonist and Redmayne said he chose the project because "the idea of getting to spend a proper amount of time with this enigma felt like great material to mine".[7]
On 22 November 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.[8]
Filming for the series, taking place in four countries and expected to last seven months, was started in June 2023.[12] The shoot began in Budapest, Hungary and its neighbouring regions.[13][14] Filming took place in Vienna in July 2023.[15] Filming took place in the autumn of 2023 in Croatia.[16] Croatian locations include Rijeka, Pag, Opatija, and the central Istrian region.[17]
Broadcast
The ten-episode series premiered on 7 November 2024, airing in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic and Now, and streaming on Peacock in the United States.[18][19]NBCUniversal Global Distribution is distributing the series internationally outside of Sky's markets, airing through its agreements with Foxtel (Australia), Showcase (Canada), JioCinema (India), Showmax (Africa), TVNZ+ (New Zealand), Disney+ (Latin America) and SkyShowtime (Europe) among others.[20] Subsequent episodes will be released weekly, concluding with a double-episode finale on December 12.[21]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Day of the Jackal has an approval rating of 82% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "A globetrotting thriller made eerily plausible by Eddie Redmayne's reptilian performance, The Day of the Jackal turns dark deeds into good fun."[22]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[23]
