A Hop Across The Continent With The Day Of The Jackal

Sky’s brand new 10-episode adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s acclaimed 1971 novel commenced last night (7 November), with a new modern spin on the notorious and elusive spy. If the scenery stole your attention away from Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch in their cat-and-mouse chase, you might have the same question as us: where was The Day of the Jackal filmed? We’ve got the details…

Feeling behind? Here’s what to expect from The Day of the Jackal

Lashana Lynch as Bianca & Chukwudi Iwuji as Osi in The Day of The Jackal. (© 2023 Carnival Film & Television Limited/Sky)

Where Was The Day Of The Jackal Filmed?

The Day of the Jackal was filmed in Hungary, Croatia, Austria and UK – a pan-European shoot to match a pan-European story. As the series progresses, the Jackal will pass through the likes of Munich, the Hungarian countryside, Tallinn and even a Croatian island with Biana hot on his tail – though not all of these real cities were visited for filming.

As co-executive producer Gareth Neame explains: ‘We wanted to stay relatively faithful to the original book, just reconceived as a 10-part, contemporary series, retaining the idea of an English assassin and a cat-and-mouse situation involving a chase across many European locations.

‘It’s a British-led story, but set all over Europe, and Europe is a sort of playground, if you like,’ Neame adds. ‘We’re in a contemporary world – that becomes clear quite early on – so we were both trying to instil a sense of the past in the show while being a highly topical show of our times. Building formidable sets and shooting in a very exciting, beautiful yet visceral style.’

Eddie Redmayne as The Jackal in The Day of The Jackal. (© 2023 Carnival Film & Television Limited/Sky)

Lead actor Redmayne adds the ‘scope’ of the filming locations offer audiences ‘the glory and indulgence of seeing beautiful parts of the world’ without needing to leave the sofa. ‘The globetrotting-ness feels fully realised,’ Redmayne adds. ‘What I loved about the original movie was that from our living rooms, we got to leap across the world with someone who seems to nip on a train or a plane as he pleases. I hope audiences enjoy going on that ride.’

The Day of the Jackal is ‘very ambitious with a lot of action,’ Neame adds. ‘There are hundreds of different locations. We were shooting in London, Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb, and all over the Croatian coast. We went above and beyond to achieve the look of the series from the stunts to the military action, the visual effects, and the prosthetics. It’s a very complex and demanding show and we’re excited for audiences to experience the chase.’

Learn more about The Day of the Jackal’s European jaunt in Sky’s video below.

WATCH

The first five episodes of The Day of the Jackal are available to stream on Now. New episodes will arrive weekly on Thursdays on Sky Atlantic and Now.