The Day of the Jackal came out of nowhere last year as one of the most surprising success stories of 2024. The spy thriller series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch was renewed for Season 2, which is expected to begin filming in the coming months. However, news broke this morning that showrunner and creator Ronan Bennett is stepping back as the primary writer of the show and passing off duties to David Harrower (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth). Bennett will remain involved as an executive producer, though, and his departure is strictly due to scheduling conflicts.
The Day of the Jackal was mostly well-liked by critics and audiences, enough for it to earn scores of 85% from critics and 76% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The Day of the Jackal Season 1 also famously deviated from the source material, which is the famous novel by Frederick Forsyth. During the same report detailing the turnover in The Day of the Jackal Season 2, Carnival Films (which produces the show) boss Gareth Neame acknowledged the changes, and confirmed that Season 2 will steer more closely to the plot of the original novel and show.
The Day of the Jackal star Eddie Redmayne is best known for his role in Les Misérables, and also for playing Newt in the Harry Potter spin-off, The Fantastic Beasts. Lashana Lynch made her MCU debut in Captain Marvel, and she returned as a Multiversal variant in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Chukwudi Iwuji, who has worked under James Gunn, both in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Peacemaker Season 1, also has a role in The Day of the Jackal.
When Is ‘Day of the Jackal’ Season 2 Coming Out?
There was no information in the new report about The Day of the Jackal Season 2 about when Peacock plans to air the follow-up season. However, now that we know that filming plans to begin before the end of this year, it’s possible that the show could return before the end of 2026. Unfortunately, it’s also a reality that The Day of the Jackal Season 2 won’t arrive until early in 2027, if production runs deep into 2026. The show also aired episodes on NBC following its highly successful run on Peacock.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on The Day of the Jackal Season 2 and watch the first season on Peacock.
- Network
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Sky Atlantic
- Directors
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Brian Kirk
- Writers
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Ronan Bennett