‘The Day of the Jackal’ Series Ordered By Sky & Peacock
Sky and Peacock have ordered a new original television series inspired by Frederick Forsyth’s seminal thriller ‘The Day of the Jackal‘ and the award-winning 1973 film adaptation from Universal Pictures.
The new series is a bold, contemporary reimagining of the beloved and respected novel and film. While remaining true to the DNA of the original IP, 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.
“It is an exciting prospect to work with Ronan Bennett and Brian Kirk on this contemporary cat-and-mouse thriller inspired by Frederick Forsyth’s respected novel and the much admired and remembered Fred Zinnemann movie,” said Gareth Neame, Executive Producer, Carnival Films, who will produce the drama. “We’ll retain the pan-European setting and play to the strengths of episodic television in this fast-paced, intelligent international thriller with the story of an assassin and the race to stop him still at the heart of the action.”
Carnival Films, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, produce the series in association with Sky Studios. Irish screenwriter Ronan Bennett (‘Top Boy’, ‘Gunpowder’) is attached to write and showrun. The award-winning Brian Kirk (’21 Bridges’, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’) will be lead director.
“We’re excited to adapt this internationally recognized classic into an updated, timely, political thriller,” adds Lisa Katz, President Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Shepherded by novelist and showrunner Ronan Bennett and Carnival, this action-packed high-stakes drama is sure to be an edge-of-your-seat adventure for Peacock audiences.”
‘The Day of the Jackal’ was commissioned by Gabriel Silver, Director of Commissioning, Drama, and Sam Hoyle, Executive Producer, at Sky Studios for Zai Bennett, MD of Content at Sky UK & Ireland. Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant are Executive Producers for Carnival Films. Frederick Forsyth will serve as Consulting Producer and Christopher Hall is Producer.
“The Day of the Jackal is a timeless international espionage thriller that is beloved the world over,” said Meghan Lyvers, Director of Original Drama, Sky Studios UK&I. “Ronan’s propulsive storytelling will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, and we cannot wait to bring this premium, cinematic, globe-trotting series to Sky audiences across Europe.”
‘The Day of the Jackal‘ will begin production in Summer 2023. The series will be available on Peacock in the US and on Sky in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. If you want to keep track of these or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
