The Day of the Jackal: New Sky series release date, cast and episode count

New Sky series The Day of the Jackal is set to finally air on Sky and Now this week. Starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch, the series is a modern reimagining of the iconic thriller from 1973.

In The Day of the Jackal, the hitman known as The Jackal will meet his match when his character comes up against Bond star Lashana Lynch as MI6 agent Bianca.

The series, shot on location in London, Budapest and across Croatia is described as a "thrilling cat-and-mouse chase" between the elusive assassin and a special agent.

With an extensive cast, The Day of the Jackal is reported to be Sky's most expensive series to date. This is everything you need to know about The Day of the Jackal, including its plot, cast, episode count and future.

The official plot synopsis from Sky reads: "An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee.

"But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake."

Sky say the new series and remake offers a fresh twist on the source material, including the subsequent award-winning 1973 film.

While The Day of the Jackal follows the core elements and plot points of the series, it has been reimagined for the modern day, putting a fresh new take on the book by Frederick Forsyth.

The new Sky series The Day of the Jackal will be aired at 9pm on Thursday, November 7 on Sky Atlantic. All episodes will be aired weekly at the same time and day.

The series will also be available to stream in full on NOW. There are 10 episodes in the Sky series, with industry insiders suggesting each episode cost £1 million to produce.

Fantastic Beasts and The Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a notorious assassin who lives a normal double life away from his murderous career path. He is able to blend into his environments easily with a range of disguises but is now being hunted.

British intelligence officer Bianca, played by James Bond star Lashana Lynch, decides to bring the Jackal to justice. Her determination to find and capture The Jackal overshadows everything, turning into an addiction that has the potential to take over her life.

Úrsula Corberó plays Nuria and is Jackal's partner. She is however unaware about the true nature of his work.

The wider cast includes Charles Dance and Richard Dormer appear as Timothy Winthrop and Norman respectively.

Chukwudi Iwuji plays Osita Halcrow, The Crown's Lia Williams plays Isabel Kirby and The Kite Runner's Khalid Abdalla plays Ulle Dag Charles.

Other actors include The Walking Dead actor Eleanor Matsuura, Andor's Jonjo O'Neill, Slow Horses star Nick Blood as Vince, Classified's Sule Rimi and EastEnders' Florisa Kamara.