Brian Kirk on ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Season 2, Storyline Expansion, Eddie Redmayne Duality & More!
Brian Kirk ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Executive Producer and Director had a very engaging, lively conversation with Latasha M. Ford at Awards Buzz about the riveting, thriller series. Brian Kirk shared insights into casting Eddie Redmayne as “The Jackal” and Lashana Lynch — highlighting the modern, authentic, and psychopathic energy both stars bring to each episode. Our chat also covered Redmayne’s sociopathic edge, the contemporary twist Season 1 brings to the screen, and the psychological and moral complexities woven throughout the storyline.
Brian also gave a tease about what viewers can expect in Season 2, while carefully keeping his contract in place!
“We went to Eddie first! ‘The Good Nurse’ had just appeared on Netflix and Eddie was playing way outside the range that we’d seen him before. He had a real sociopathic edge and we were all very excited about that discovery of Eddie. Because typically, he’s played a lot of period characters. It’s a very modern drama and we were like ‘if we can reconcile the Eddie that the world knows with the Eddie of this — than we’re in a good space.”
This article summarizes the plot of The Day of the Jackal, the 1971 mystery novel by Frederick Forsyth, its 1973 film adaptation, and the Peacock series. The book, which won the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America, remains a classic. Peacock’s modern reimagining incorporates contemporary political and technological elements, telling the story from the perspectives of both the Jackal played by Eddie Redmayne and his investigator Bianca played by Lashana Lynch.
The Peacock thriller series was renewed before the Season 1 finale aired, and some details about the upcoming second season are emerging. Here’s a look at everything we know about Season 1 of ‘The Day of the Jackal’, along with lingering questions from the finale. The Peacock series primarily follows ambitious investigator Bianca, played by Lashana Lynch, as she and a group of British intelligence officers hunt for the mysterious assassin known as the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne).
In the first season finale, the Jackal kills Bianca, an MI-6 agent tasked with assassinating him by her boss, Isabel. Unbeknownst to Bianca, Isabel was indirectly working for the Jackal’s boss, billionaire Timothy Winthorp. Bianca is survived by her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Jasmine. While the Jackal successfully thwarts the attack, he fails to keep his wife, Nuria, and their baby son with him; she leaves before he can reach her, and her current whereabouts are unknown. Zina also survives a likely assassination attempt and decides to reveal Winthorp’s identity to the Jackal after Winthorp sends someone to kill her. However, the Jackal, still recovering from a wreck, states he needs to see someone before confronting Winthorp.
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