Eddie Redmayne's record-smashing Sky spy series The Day of the Jackal is returning for a second season with a big change to its creative team. Starring the actor as the protagonist hitman and Lashana Lynch as the MI6 agent who hunts him down, The Day of the Jackal has just confirmed a new lead writer for the upcoming season.
Show creator Ronan Bennett is stepping down from his role as main writer, but will remain on board as executive producer. In his stead, David Harrower — known for another Sky hit, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth — is set to write the new batch of episodes (via Variety).
The Day of the Jackal is a present-day adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's novel and its hit 1973 film of the same name.
The series is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a critics' rating of 85% out of 54 reviews.
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Critics have been praising Redmayne's "reptilian" performance, with the actor making the most of the chameleonic role as the titular assassin and master of disguise.
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In its review, The Times of India noted that this spy story may be like others we've seen before, but it's elevated by the performances.
"The storyline itself isn't groundbreaking, but it's the execution and performances that truly elevate it," it wrote.
Elsewhere, Decider branded the series "a pure cat-and-mouse game thriller", as both the killer and MI6 agent Bianca exhibit a deep knowledge of their respective fields.
While CBR hailed the remake as "a true throwback to the best thrillers", others have pointed out the shortcomings of the series, namely its lengthy sequences and lacklustre storylines.
"Whether Peacock demanded 10 hours per season or the filmmakers though they needed that much time themselves, there’s simply too much and too little happening at once," IndieWire noted.
The Daily Beast also criticised the "sluggish sequences" and "uninteresting subplots" as well as the show's "unsatisfying" finale, blaming the series for "squandering a captivating performance" by Redmayne.
Alongside Redmayne and Lynch, the series also stars Money Heist's Úrsula Corberó as the Jackal's wife Nuria, Chukwudi Iwuji as Bianca's boss at MI6, Osita Halcrow, and Charles Dance as the Jackal's employer, Timothy Winthrop.
The Day of the Jackal season 1 is available on Sky in the UK and Peacock in the US. A season 2 has been announced.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
