The Day of the Jackal Season 2 Adds Pia Tjelta, Set for Spring 2027

Norwegian actor Pia Tjelta has joined the cast of The Day of the Jackal Season 2, according to TheGWW. It is her first English-language role, and her character has not been revealed. The season is targeted for spring 2027 on Sky in the U.K. and Peacock in the U.S., and no exact premiere date has been announced.

The casting news is the latest in a steady stream of updates about the second season of the espionage thriller, and it adds an international name to an already wide-ranging ensemble. With filming reportedly complete and a release window in place, the production appears to be moving toward its premiere on schedule.

An International Cast Grows

Eddie Redmayne returns as the Jackal. Tjelta joins Matt Bomer, Pablo Schreiber and Weruche Opia among the new cast. Bomer was reported in May and is reportedly playing the villain, while the characters for Schreiber and Opia have not been revealed. TV Insider lists Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance and Eleanor Matsuura among the returning cast.

The additions reflect the series' European and international character. Tjelta comes from Norwegian film and television, and this role marks her first in English, a step that could introduce her to a wider audience. Bomer, Schreiber and Opia each bring experience from American and British productions, and the mix of backgrounds suits a story that moves between countries. Redmayne, an Oscar winner for The Theory of Everything, anchors the cast as the assassin at the center of the series.

Details about who the new actors will play are being kept under wraps. The one exception is Bomer, who is reportedly playing the villain, though that remains a report and not an official announcement. Secrecy around roles is common in thrillers, where revealing a character's identity can give away the structure of the plot.

The returning performers add familiarity. Dance is widely recognized for his work on Game of Thrones, and Corberó for the Spanish series Money Heist, so the ensemble draws on viewers of both English-language and international television. Keeping them in place alongside Redmayne provides continuity from the first season, while the new arrivals give the writers fresh characters to move through the plot and a wider range of nationalities to match the story's cross-border pursuit.

Why Spring 2027 Is the Target

The spring 2027 window comes from Sky's director of original drama, Meghan Lyvers, who spoke at the 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival, according to Geek Slop. Show Snob reports that NBCUniversal gave the same window at its Upfronts presentation. Lyvers said she had seen “a couple of cuts” of Season 2 and that “it's going to be fantastic,” per TheGWW.

Two separate companies naming the same window is a helpful sign. Sky and NBCUniversal share the series, with Sky airing it in the U.K. and Peacock streaming it in the U.S., and agreement between them indicates that the schedule has been coordinated. An executive reporting that she has seen early versions of episodes suggests that editing is underway, although comments of this kind come from the people responsible for promoting the show and should be read as encouragement rather than as independent review.

Filming Is Done; Post-Production Begins

Show Snob reports that production started in February 2026 and that filming is now complete, with the series in post-production. David Harrower is the lead writer, replacing Ronan Bennett, who stays on as an executive producer, according to TV Insider. Carnival Films produces.

A shoot that began in February and has now finished leaves several months for editing, sound, music and visual effects before a spring release. Carnival Films, the company also known for Downton Abbey, has produced the series since its first season. The change in lead writer is a notable behind-the-scenes shift: Bennett, who led the writing of the first season, remains involved as an executive producer, so the transition is not a complete break from the creative team that shaped the show.

What Little Is Known About the Story

Plot details are still scarce. Redmayne has teased that “if there's one thing the Jackal can't stand, it's a loose end,” and producers have said Season 2 will draw on parts of Frederick Forsyth's novel that Season 1 did not use. Season 1 premiered in fall 2024, and the series was renewed on November 22, 2024.

The comment about loose ends points toward a continuation of threads left open at the end of the first season, though the specifics have not been disclosed. The decision to draw further on Forsyth's novel is also worth noting. The book, published in 1971, follows an assassin hired to kill the French president Charles de Gaulle, and it has inspired a well-known 1973 film as well as the later television update. The series transplants the premise into a modern setting, which means that additional elements from the novel must be adapted rather than followed directly.

From Page to Screen, Again and Again

The story has been adapted more than once. Fred Zinnemann directed the 1973 film version, with Edward Fox as the assassin, and a loose 1997 remake titled The Jackal starred Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Each version has reshaped the material for its own time, trading the 1960s political backdrop of the novel for different settings and stakes. The television format gives the current adaptation room to explore the assassin's methods and the pursuit across multiple hours, and it explains why producers could return to the book for a second season rather than compressing everything into a single story.

A Premise With a Long History

Forsyth's novel became one of the defining thrillers of its era, and its structure, which follows a meticulous killer and the investigators racing to stop him, has influenced the genre ever since. The 2024 series reworked that structure for a contemporary audience, with the hunt unfolding across Europe and involving modern surveillance and technology. Its renewal on November 22, 2024, came shortly after the first season began airing, which suggests that the producers and networks saw early evidence of audience interest.

With a new lead writer, a larger cast and a release window now publicly stated, the second season enters its final stretch before launch. Viewers can expect further announcements, including a premiere date, a trailer and details about the new characters, as the spring 2027 window approaches.