“The Day of the Jackal” is gearing up for season 2, with new faces joining the cast. With Eddie Redmayne once again at the helm, the series is entering its next chapter amid notable changes behind the scenes.
Eddie Redmayne’s resurrected assassin gets a new face
As first reported by Deadline, Welsh Opia and Pablo Schreiber have joined the cast as series regulars. Other than Redmayne’s return as internationally famous assassin Alexander Duggan, known as “The Jackal,” character details and the official logline for season 2 are being kept a closely guarded secret.
Opia is best known for her critically acclaimed role as Terry in HBO’s I May Destroy You, for which she received a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She recently played Coretta Scott King in Genius: MLK/X, finished Netflix’s Lady First, and will next be seen in the Amazon limited series Bait, starring Riz Ahmed.
Shriver’s best-known television roles include the Emmy-nominated role of George “Pornstache” Mendes on Orange Is the New Black and Master Chief on Paramount+’s Halo. His credits also include The Wire, Weeds, and American Gods, and his film work includes Den of Thieves, The Manchurian Candidate, First Man, and Skyscraper. He will next be seen opposite Jessica Chastain in Apple TV’s upcoming series The Savant.
Season 2 also brings a creative reset
Along with cast additions, Season 2 also sees a change in creative leadership. Series creator Ronan Bennett has stepped away from writing to pursue other commitments, but remains an executive producer.
David Harrower took over as lead writer and showrunner. Mr Harrower previously produced Lockerbie: The Search for Truth for Carnival Films, which also aired on both Sky and Peacock.
In an interview with Variety in December, Carnival Films CEO Gareth Neame acknowledged that the first season took a largely unique approach, but retained what he described as “the same dynamics between the hunter and the hunted” found in Frederick Forsythe’s novel and the 1973 film adaptation. Looking ahead, Neame said that as the series progresses, there will remain “a lot of elements from[Forsythe’s]novel that we didn’t utilize in season one.”
Neame also framed the upcoming season as an escalation rather than a reinvention, describing season 2 as “an absolutely gorgeous, well-directed, well-acted, and excitingly unfolding thriller” as production prepares to begin.
A hit first season sets the bar high
Based on the novel by Frederick Forsythe and its 1973 film adaptation, The Day of the Jackal depicts an extremely elusive assassin who makes a living as a hit man for top fees. The modern reimagination has been a strong hit with viewers, making it the biggest new series ever launched on Sky in the UK.
In the United States, the series ranked among Nielsen’s top 10 streaming original dramas in its first week (November 14, 2024) and final week (December 12, 2024), highlighting how quickly it gained an audience in the United States.
The series also received positive reviews (85% on Rotten Tomatoes) and earned Redmayne two Golden Globe nominations for Best Television Series (Drama) and Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama).
For now, story details for Season 2 remain closely guarded, but pieces are starting to come together. stay tuned.
