Eddie Redmayne conquered Hollywood with roles in both acclaimed dramas and big blockbusters, and he’s ready for his next big challenge—television. The Oscar winner will play the lead role in Peacock’s crime series The Day of the Jackal.
Based on Frederick Forsyth’s novel of the same name, The Day of the Jackal centers on a professional assassin hired by a French paramilitary dissident to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. This novel had been adapted into a 1973 film, but the new adaptation will be a contemporary reimagining set amidst the current turbulent geo-political landscape.
Gareth Neame of Carnival Films, who’s executive producing alongside Redmayne, Nigel Marchant, Sky Studios’ Sam Hoyle, and Marianne Buckland, said he’s excited to join forces with this first-class creative team.
“We are excited to bring to life Ronan Bennett’s re-imagining of Forsyth’s revered thriller in the complex world in which we live today. And are incredibly fortunate to have an actor of Eddie’s caliber as our Jackal,” said Neame in a statement.
The Day of the Jackal marks Redmayne’s first TV project since The Pillars of the Earth 13 years ago. His rise to prominence started a few years later, and he went on to win an Oscar for The Danish Girl and star in the Fantastic Beasts film series and acclaimed films The Theory of Everything, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and The Good Nurse.
