Eddie Redmayne is joining forces with Sky and Peacock.
The Academy, Tony, and BAFTA award-winning actor (The Good Nurse, Trial of The Chicago Seven, and The Theory of Everything) will star in the new original television series The Day of the Jackal in the lead role of the Jackal.
Redmayne will also serve as executive producer on the project.
The series is based on the seminal Frederick Forsyth thriller and subsequent award-winning 1973 film adaptation of the same name from Universal Pictures.
“The Day of the Jackal is a bold, modern reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film,” Peacock teases in a press release.
“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.”
Irish screenwriter and novelist Ronan Bennett, creator and writer of the critically acclaimed global hit Top Boy, is attached as writer and showrunner.
Bennett’s writing credits also include the BBC One series Gunpowder starring Kit Harrington, as well as screenplays for films such as Face and Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.
Internationally award-winning Director Brian Kirk, whose television credits include Game of Thrones, Luther, Boardwalk Empire, and feature film 21 Bridges, is set to direct the series.
The Day of the Jackal will be produced by Downton Abbey and The Last Kingdom creators Carnival Films, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, and was commissioned by Sky Studios and Peacock.
Gareth Neame, CEO & Executive Producer at Carnival Films, said of the project:
“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.”
It sounds like an exciting project.
Peacock will air the episodes in the U.S., while Sky will be the project’s home in the UK.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.