Eddie Redmayne will Star in and Produce a TV Adaptation of Classic Thriller ‘The Day of the Jackal’
‘Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett is writing the series, with ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Brian Kirk on to direct.
Eddie Redmayne as Charles "Charlie" Cullen in Netflix's 'The Good Nurse.'
In a world of need for streaming TV content, companies are forever looking for the next recognizable title that can make the jump from movie to show –– or in this case, from book to movie to show.
Universal International Studios has raided its back catalogue and come up with ‘The Day of the Jackal’, Frederick Forsyth’s seminal thriller novel, brought so famously to the screen in 1973 (and less famously for the Bruce Willisremake in 1997).
Eddie Redmayne, most recently seen in ‘The Good Nurse’ is aboard to star as the title character and produce the show.
The Day of the Jackal
What’s the story of the thriller?
In the original book and film, set in France in the 1960s, a group of disgruntled army officers have banded together and formed an organisation called the OAS. Their aim –– to kill President Charles de Gaulle. After several failed attempts and the trial and execution of several of their leaders, the OAS hire an assassin in a final attempt to complete the task. He is The Jackal.
The new show is described as “a bold, modern reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film. While staying true to the DNA of the original story, this contemporary drama will delve deeper into the chameleon-like anti-hero at the heart of the story in a high octane, cinematic, globetrotting cat and mouse thriller, set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time. Redmayne would be playing the Jackal in this incarnation.
Bruce Willis as The Jackal in 1997's 'The Jackal.'
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Who is working on the new show?
The new series comes from Irish scriptwriter and novelist Ronan Bennett, who created ‘Top Boy’. He’ll be head writer and showrunner.
In the director’s chair, we have Brian Kirk, who has worked on the TV likes of ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Luther’, plus the movie ’21 Bridges’.
In addition to Redmayne as executive producer, the new series comes from Carnival Films, the team behind ‘Downton Abbey’ (we’re expecting a few more explosions in this one, though given ‘Downton’s propensity for chewing through family members, the body count should be similar.)
Here’s what Gareth Neame, CEO & Executive Producer at Carnival Films said of the show:
“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 calibre as our Jackal. Paired with Ronan’s screenplay and Brian Kirk’s direction, this is a first-class creative team.”
And in case you’re wondering what Forsyth thinks of all this –– he’s involved as a consulting producer, so it has his backing right now. The show should start shooting this year, which means it’ll likely appear on Peacock in 2024.
(L to R) Eddie Redmayne as Charles "Charlie" Cullen, and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren in Netflix's 'The Good Nurse.'
Other Movies Similar to ‘The Day of the Jackal:’
- ‘The Day of the Jackal' (1973)
- 'Three Days of the Condor' (1975)
- 'Marathon Man' (1976)
- 'Black Sunday' (1977)
- ‘The Jackal' (1997)
- 'The Good Nurse' (2022)
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