Forty-three years after its publication, Frederick Forsythe’s The Day of the Jackal continues to thrill people around the world. The book has new relevance as it is the fourth live-action adaptation of the book, and although the Peacock series bears little resemblance to the novels based on true events (this time, it is about the assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle). No one tries to do that), making it a fascinating piece of work. It was great in its own right, thanks to dynamite performances from Eddie Redmayne as the extremely dangerous prey and Lashana Lynch as the trusty predator.
Why does this thread last so long? This is a classic cat and mouse tale with incredible stakes. Redmayne’s mission does not determine the fate of the world—at least not yet. This show is a slow burn and is only on its seventh episode in the US, so who knows what will happen in the end. We’ll have to wait until December 12th to find out, but there’s one new development as of today, and that information could be a pretty major spoiler. If you don’t want to know, now is the perfect time to look elsewhere.
Is it possible that “The Day of the Jackal” will return without the Jackal?
Peacock and Sky announced today that The Day of the Jackal will return for season two. While this is great news for fans of the series, it’s also a problem considering Redmayne’s Jackal has reappeared as of the most recent episode. I’m in a bit of a predicament. All in all, it feels like his mission could head south. There’s a sense of impending doom that’s hard to ignore, especially if you know Forsythe’s book.
In the two most well-known versions of this story, the Jackal did not fare well. Bottom line: Whether it’s Edward Fox in the 1973 film or Bruce Willis in the 1997 adrenocortical action film, the character is killed off. So, does the show’s continuation signal that Redmayne’s Jackal will survive until next season? probably. But it may have been academic from the beginning.
Redmayne is an executive producer on “The Day of the Jackal,” and while he’s not the creator and showrunner of the series (that would be Ronan Bennett), it makes sense that he’s agreed to a second season. You have to imagine how much of a buzz this show has become, which will mean a lot to Peacock and Sky going forward. Their priority is to maintain Redmayne’s on-screen service. And it’s not like his commitment to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is preventing him from returning to the role.
Yes, this may be a spoiler. The jackal may not die. Alternatively, this could be a giant head fake and Redmayne would pass the sniper rifle to another worthy killer. If you think about it, maybe it was just more suspense in the end.
