Eddie Redmayne plays a killer who charges top fee. Lashana Lynch plays the British intelligence officer who decides he can be caught. That is the engine of The Day of the Jackal, and it runs clean for ten episodes.
Trailer, via Sky TV.
Redmayne and Lynch Carry the Chase
Ronan Bennett created the series and wrote it, working from the Frederick Forsyth novel and the 1973 film of the same name. The Jackal is a lone assassin, described as unrivalled and highly elusive, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. After his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer. What follows is a cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.
The show is a British spy thriller, reimagined into a contemporary political setting. Brian Kirk, Anthony Philipson, Paul Wilmshurst and Anu Menon directed. Christopher Hall produced.
The cast is deep beyond its two leads:
- Eleanor Matsuura as Zina Jansone
- Chukwudi Iwuji as Osita Halcrow
- Úrsula Corberó as Nuria
- Adoney Díaz Barajas as Carlitos
- David Gojković as Bodyguard
Redmayne was revealed to be in the cast in March 2023. Lynch joined in June 2023. Additional casting, including Corberó, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer and Iwuji, was announced in February 2024.
A Second Season Already Locked
The first series premiered on Sky Atlantic on 7 November 2024, running ten episodes through 12 December. That same month, it was renewed for a second series, which will premiere in 2027. In February 2026, Weruche Opia and Pablo Schreiber were cast as regulars for the second season. In May 2026, Matt Bomer joined the cast and was implied to be playing a villain.
The Day of the Jackal received positive reviews from critics and two Golden Globe nominations: Best Television Series – Drama and Best Actor for Redmayne.
The premise is the whole bet. A ruthless British assassin known only as “The Jackal” against the intelligence officer intent on capturing him. Redmayne and Lynch do the rest, and the show airs its ten episodes at a steady clip.
The Golden Globe nominations are not noise. Best Drama and Best Actor are the two categories that tell you whether a show has both a spine and a face, and this one has both.
For now, the first ten episodes stand on their own. The Day of the Jackal is a thriller that earns its running time.
8.5/10 (Rotten Tomatoes).
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