The Day of the Jackal Cast (2024)
Sky Atlantic / Peacock | Thriller, Drama | Season 1 (10 episodes) | Created by Ronan Bennett
The Day of the Jackal is a 2024 spy thriller series that reimagines Frederick Forsyth's legendary 1971 novel for a contemporary audience. Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a ruthless and supremely intelligent freelance assassin who operates across Europe under a constantly shifting series of identities. Lashana Lynch plays Bianca Pullman, a British intelligence officer who becomes consumed by the chase to identify and stop him before he completes his latest contract. The series unfolds across ten tense episodes, weaving between the cat-and-mouse pursuit and the Jackal's meticulous preparations for an operation of staggering audacity.
The Day of the Jackal cast brings together some of Britain and Europe's most accomplished screen talent for one of 2024's most-watched thriller debuts. Eddie Redmayne delivers a career-redefining performance as the emotionless but charismatic killer at the centre of the story, while Lashana Lynch grounds the series with her portrayal of a driven intelligence operative who refuses to let the case go. With Charles Dance lending gravitas as the shadowy establishment figure Timothy Winthrop and Úrsula Corberó adding an international dimension as Nuria, the ensemble gives the show a genuinely cinematic quality that distinguishes it from other prestige-TV thrillers of its era.
Main Cast
Eddie Redmayne
The Jackal
A coldly brilliant freelance assassin of indeterminate origin who assumes multiple identities to carry out high-value contracts across Europe. Redmayne plays him as simultaneously charming and utterly unknowable.
Lashana Lynch
Bianca Pullman
A tenacious MI5 officer who becomes the intelligence community's best hope of stopping the Jackal. Her investigation grows increasingly personal as the series progresses.
Charles Dance
Timothy Winthrop
A senior figure within the British establishment whose connections to the Jackal's contract run deeper than anyone realises. Dance brings his trademark patrician menace to the role.
Úrsula Corberó
Nuria
A European woman drawn into the Jackal's orbit, whose relationship with him becomes one of the series' most unpredictable dramatic threads. Corberó is best known internationally for La Casa de Papel (Money Heist).
Richard Dormer
Supporting role
Dormer, known for Game of Thrones and Fortitude, brings his distinctive intensity to the series as part of the broader ensemble.
Chukwudi Iwuji
Supporting role
Iwuji, acclaimed for his work in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Peacemaker, appears in a significant supporting capacity within the intelligence and political world of the series.
Lia Williams
Supporting role
Williams, a distinguished stage and screen actress known for The Crown and Kiri, contributes to the series' strong British ensemble.
Khalid Abdalla
Supporting role
Abdalla, known for The Kite Runner and his role in The Crown as Dodi Fayed, adds further dramatic weight to the supporting cast.
Supporting & Recurring Cast
| Actor | Character | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Dormer | Supporting | Part of the series' ensemble, adding genre credibility from his Fortitude and Game of Thrones pedigree | Season 1 |
| Chukwudi Iwuji | Supporting | Appears in the political and intelligence world surrounding Bianca's investigation | Season 1 |
| Lia Williams | Supporting | Acclaimed British actress contributing to the intelligence-community scenes | Season 1 |
| Khalid Abdalla | Supporting | BAFTA-recognised actor whose scenes span the international scope of the Jackal's operation | Season 1 |
Creators & Production
Ronan Bennett
Writer & Creator — Bennett, best known for developing the long-running crime drama Top Boy for Netflix, wrote all ten episodes of the series, modernising Forsyth's Cold War-era source material for a contemporary geopolitical landscape.
Brian Kirk
Lead Director — Kirk previously directed episodes of Game of Thrones, Luther, and Boardwalk Empire, bringing a high-end cinematic sensibility to the series' location-heavy production.
NBCUniversal International Studios
Production Company — The series was produced by NBCUniversal International Studios for Sky Atlantic in the UK and Peacock in the United States, with filming taking place across multiple European countries.
Sky Atlantic / Peacock
Broadcasters — Sky Atlantic aired the series in the UK and Ireland as a flagship original production, while Peacock streamed it simultaneously for US audiences, making it one of 2024's highest-profile transatlantic co-productions.
Frederick Forsyth
Source Material — Forsyth's 1971 novel The Day of the Jackal, from which the series takes its premise, is widely regarded as one of the defining works of the modern thriller genre. The 2024 series pays homage to the novel's spirit while setting events in the present day.
About The Day of the Jackal Cast
The casting of Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal was one of 2024's most anticipated television announcements. Best known for playing fragile, emotionally complex characters in films such as The Theory of Everything (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor) and The Danish Girl, Redmayne's decision to take on a role defined by cold detachment and physical transformation was a deliberate departure from his usual work. The performance requires him to inhabit several distinct personas within a single episode, and critics widely praised his ability to suggest menace beneath a surface of ordinary pleasantness. His casting helped give The Day of the Jackal a level of prestige-drama credibility that attracted an equally accomplished ensemble around him.
Lashana Lynch's casting as Bianca Pullman was equally deliberate. Lynch, who had made history as the first woman to hold the 007 designation in No Time to Die (2021), brought an established action-thriller pedigree to a role that demands both physical and emotional conviction. The dynamic between her character and Redmayne's Jackal — two people who never share the same space for most of the series, yet whose lives become inextricably linked — forms the dramatic spine of the show. Charles Dance, a veteran of prestige British drama from Game of Thrones to The Crown, anchors the establishment-intrigue subplot, while Úrsula Corberó gives the series an international dimension that reflects the modern, borderless world the Jackal operates in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The Day of the Jackal (2024)?
Eddie Redmayne plays the title role of the Jackal, a mysterious international assassin. Lashana Lynch co-stars as Bianca Pullman, a British intelligence officer tasked with tracking him down, and Charles Dance plays Timothy Winthrop, a powerful establishment figure.
Who plays the Jackal in the 2024 series?
Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal in the 2024 Sky/Peacock adaptation. He portrays a chameleon-like assassin who changes identities and appearance with ease, making him almost impossible to catch.
Is The Day of the Jackal (2024) based on a book?
Yes. The series is inspired by Frederick Forsyth's 1971 thriller novel of the same name, though it is a modern reimagining rather than a direct adaptation. The original novel was previously adapted as a 1973 film.
How many episodes does The Day of the Jackal (2024) have?
The first season of The Day of the Jackal consists of ten episodes, which aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and streamed on Peacock in the United States beginning in November 2024.
Who created the 2024 version of The Day of the Jackal?
The series was written and created by Ronan Bennett, the writer known for Top Boy. It was directed by Brian Kirk and produced by NBCUniversal International Studios for Sky Atlantic and Peacock.
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