Academy Award-winner Eddie Redmayne dazzles, glides – and kills without the blink of an eye – in The Day of the Jackal, coming to M-Net (DStv Channel 101) on Monday 13 January at 20:00. It will also be available on Showmax. A retelling of the 1971 Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name – with the 86-year-old author serving as a consulting producer – The Day of the Jackal is a "Bond-gone-bad-meets-villainous-Bourne-meets-cat-and-mouse game" of epic proportions.

An elite sniper, a master of disguise, and a highly trained killer, the Jackal (Redmayne) is an assassin, coldly carrying out hits for a fee. Following an attack on a high-profile and notorious politician, he's offered his riskiest job yet – one that could pay him enough to leave his murderous career for good. But his work has attracted the attention of Bianca (Lashana Lynch), a tenacious British intelligence officer, whose world-class expertise in firearms makes her the ideal candidate to hunt him down.

What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, as the Jackal works to carry out his new mission, while being pursued by Bianca. However, as the hunt continues and more casualties are caught in their crossfire, it becomes clear that there may be other forces pulling the strings. As both Bianca and the Jackal's personal lives clash with their work, they risk everything, pushing themselves to their limits with disastrous consequences.

With the series already having been green-lit for a second season – and the first reportedly the most-expensive show ever produced by Sky Studios – Variety said of season 1 that, “In addition to the phenomenal cinematography and gasp-worthy action sequences, the characters drive this series”. The Spinoff called it “a riveting and ridiculous ride"; while Joel Golby wrote in The Guardian’s review, “Redmayne is so astonishing he’s uncovered a whole new way of acting”.

Redmayne also serves as an executive producer, alongside writer Ronan Bennett and director Brian Kirk. Lashana Lynch and Marianne Buckland are co-executive producers, while other executive producers include Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant for Carnival Films, Sam Hoyle for Sky Studios, and Sue Naegle. Frederick Forsyth is a consulting producer, and Chris Hall also produces.

The rest of the stellar cast includes Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance, Richard Dormer, Chukwudi Iwuji, Lia Williams, Khalid Abdalla, Eleanor Matsuura, Jonjo O’Neill, Nick Blood, Sule Rimi, and Florisa Kamara.

In a world of unmissable TV, missing The Day of the Jackal is as criminal as the Jackal’s work itself. The series premieres on DStv Premium on M-Net (Channel 101) on Monday 13 January at 20:00 and will also be available on DStv Catch Up, DStv Stream, and Showmax. Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #MNet101 and #TheDayOfTheJackal.