The Day of the Jackal director addresses the TV adaptation’s massive change to the season 1 finale. Based on Freddie Forsyth’s 1971 novel and the 1973 film adaptation of the same name, the 10-part television reboot stars Eddie Redmayne as the deadly sniper assassin and Lashana Lynch as detective Bianca Pullman. In the final face-to-face, the Jackal originally dies in both the book and the movie, but the TV adaptation ends season 1 the other way around by having Bianca being the Jackal’s last victim in the season.

Lead director and executive producer Brian Kirk explains the change at the end of season 1 in an interview with Variety. Kirk admits that he was “involved in the discussion” about Bianca being the one to die, but he credits showrunner Ronan Bennett for making “the ultimate twist” happen. The director reveals that the “intense investment” in the Jackal and the validation of season 2 are factored into the twist, expressing that he’s excited to see “how much further” the Jackal “could be taken.” Check out what he said below:

Were you worried about departing from the source material?

I wasn’t worried to be honest. I was excited about it because I first watched the movie when I was a very young kid with my father, who was a great lover of movies. I’d never seen anything like it before. I instinctively knew it was a defining piece, a defining thriller, certainly in terms of his reaction. That’s not something I would have been anxious to repeat. It’s not something that needed to be to be remade in its pure form and my excitement was really in in terms of seeing what Ronan would do with it, because then there’s an opportunity to create something new whilst honoring the spirit of the source without slipping into an act of mimicry. It felt like it was a story that was ripe for reinventing in that it had a very pure narrative drive, very minimally sculpted characters, and had very archetypal energy.

How involved were you in the season finale?

I was involved in the discussion about the fact that [Bianca] should be the one who dies and involved in the broad conversation with [showrunner] Ronan Bennett about how she got there.

Was the choice between killing off the Jackal and Bianca?

Yes. Obviously that’s the whole dramatic momentum of the story is that you’ve got these two people, you’re rooting for them both and one of them has to die. That’s what keeps you watching at a very basic level.

So why did you ultimately decide on Bianca?

I think that that there’d been such an intense investment in the character of the Jackal, and so much excitement about how much further he could be taken, and that’s been validated by the fact that there’s a second season. It’s about growing the IP… and it is “The Day of the Jackal” it’s not “The Day of the Person Who Kills the Jackal.” So it felt appropriate. And by the way, all credit for that should go to Ronan. His idea was that that’s the ultimate twist, is that the guy you’ve been programmed to think is going to die — because that’s what you’ve been told — in fact, he doesn’t.

What This Means For The Day Of The Jackal

The Day Of The Jackal’s Potential Is Beyond Season 2

In The Day of the Jackal season 1 finale, the titular assassin finishes what is said to be his last job and makes a swift exit. However, Bianca finally gets to find the Jackal at his home after a local threat pushes the assassin to strike. The intense scene sees Bianca and her partner closing in on the Jackal. After taking out Bianca’s partner, the Jackal baits the detective who has been hunting him since the pilot and fatally shoots her in the same fashion that viewers have become familiar with over the season.

Given that the source material doesn’t involve a series of books, Jackal’s death is expected, but that would mean Redmayne’s TV adaptation would be limited to one season, which seemed to have been the plan. Kirk’s comment confirms the series’ future beyond season 1. Not only will there be The Day of the Jackal season 2, but there’s also an interest in growing its IP, which means that the hit series might become a multi-season property.

Our Take On The Day Of The Jackal Season 1 Finale

It Makes More Sense For The Jackal To Live

The Jackal always gets his target. The series is a huge mind game for the viewers, having seen the Jackal struggling with making the shot and securing an exit while his wife Nuria and his extended family are figuring out his secret. On top of that, Detective Bianca was getting close to figuring out who the Jackal really is. There are many times when it seems like the Jackal isn’t going to make it, including when he loses Norman Stoke, his weapon maker.

Hunting a deadly assassin who’s as good as the Jackal has great risks. Bianca lost everything in The Day of the Jackal season 1 finale. Her job has cost her family and eventually her life, which tells the brutal nature of the work. The same can almost be said about Redmayne’s sniper, whose survival leaves a few threads open. Nuria has taken their son. Bianca’s death also has a direct impact on MI6’s case on the Jackal, which would raise the stakes. Meanwhile, the Jackal is being handed another job. It seems that the series is ready to go off the source material and take off.