Eddie Redmayne star and executive producer of new The Day Of The Jackal

By Connie Evans, PA Entertainment Reporter

Eddie Redmayne is set to star in and serve as an executive producer on The Day Of The Jackal, a new series based on the Frederick Forsyth thriller of the same name.

The 41-year-old Oscar-winning actor will portray the lead role of the Jackal in the Sky and Peacock original series, which is written by Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett.

Redmayne, who recently received Bafta, SAG and Golden Globe nominations for his role in Netflix series The Good Nurse, will lead the The Day Of The Jackal, which 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”, according to Sky.

The series, which will stay true to the “DNA of the original story” – explored in both the novel and the 1973 film adaptation from Universal Pictures – will be written by Irish screenwriter and novelist Bennett whose credits also include Face and Public Enemies.

The Day Of The Jackal follows a professional assassin – The Jackal – who is contracted to kill French President Charles de Gaulle by a French paramilitary organisation.

Although the series will adhere to the original story, it will be a “contemporary” production “set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time”.

The Day Of The Jackal will be directed by Brian Kirk, known for his work on Game Of Thrones, Luther and Boardwalk Empire.

It will be produced by Carnival Films, the production company behind Downton Abbey and a part of Universal International Studios.

Of the new project, Carnival Films CEO and executive producer Gareth Neame said: “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.”

Production on the new series is set to begin later this year.