The Day of the Jackal is coming back for another season, but things might look a little different. The modern day interpretation of Frederick Forsyth's novel and its hit 1973 film adaptation, which stars Eddie Redmayne as a globe-trotting assassin, became an instant hit for both Peacock and Sky when it was released in late 2024. Now, as nears the start of production for its second installment, it is doing so under a bit of a shake-up, as it brings in a new lead writer.
Variety confirmed this week that series creator Ronan Bennett, who is also known for his work on Top Boy, MobLand, and Gunpowder, is stepping back from his writing duties due to other commitments, but will continue to executive produce. Producers Carnival Films have tapped David Harrower in his place, who created Lockerbie: A Search for Truth starring Colin Firth, also for Carnival Films.
© GettyHELLO!'s Deputy TV and Film Editor Nicky Morris says Day of the Jackal is "without a doubt one of the most gripping thrillers I've seen over the last few years," and that Eddie "shines as an elusive assassin in this nail-biting adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel." The "highly-entertaining show" is "worth the watch," she maintains.
Recently speaking with Variety, Carnival Films CEO Gareth Neame noted that while the first season of The Day of the Jackal did feature a completely different plot to the original, he maintained it had the "same dynamic between the hunter and the hunted." The 1973 film starred Edward Fox as The Jackal, alongside Michael Lonsdale, Olga Georges-Picot, Delphine Seyrig, Adrien Cayla-Legrand, and Michael Auclair, among others.
© Getty ImagesIt followed an underground French paramilitary group intent on eliminating President Charles de Gaulle, but when numerous attempts on his life failed, they resorted to hiring the infamous hit man known as The Jackal.
© Marcell Piti/SKY/CarnivalGareth further shared that for season two, which will start production in coming months and is expected to premiere either in late 2026 or early 2027, there are still "lots of elements from [Forsyth's] novel that we didn't utilize in season one" that would be featured.
© Marcell Piti/SKY/Carnival"Hopefully it's going to be another very lavish, slickly directed, well acted, high-octane twist and turn thriller," he added. In addition to Eddie, the series, which became Peacock's most-watched new original drama series ever after 75 days of viewership, according to NBCUniversal in February of this year, also stars Lashana Lynch as the MI6 agent hunting The Jackal, as well as Úrsula Corberó, Eleanor Matsuura, Kate Dickie, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer, and Chukwudi Iwuji, among others.
