In the author Frederick Forsyth's classic thriller "The Jackal", the police desperately hunt for an assassin who is to murder France's President Charles de Gaulle. The book was filmed in 1973.
The new TV version, which premieres on the streaming service SkyShowtime on December 6, was recorded when the assassination attempt on Donald Trump occurred on July 13 this year.
Eddie Redmayne was shocked by the deed. But there were no plans to postpone "The Jackal" because reality came too close to fiction.
He twists in the interview chair and says:
That's what's so interesting about skilled screenwriters. I'm not saying that's the case here, but they can somehow capture the spirit of the times. But again, this was recorded long before that crazy moment.
Moral Gray Area
The new TV version retains the premise from the film. But the intended murder victim in the TV series is not a head of state, but a tech entrepreneur whose new data program threatens the stability of the financial markets.
Eddie Redmayne describes the plot of the book as a battle between good and evil. It's harder to know who the heroes are in the TV version.
There's more of a gray area where everyone follows their own moral compass. And who's really in power now? Is it the politicians, or is it the tech moguls pulling the strings, asks Eddie Redmayne rhetorically.
Family Life
Another difference from the film is that the assassin leads a quiet family life in southern Spain when he's not out killing people.
That makes The Jackal more human and more interesting. It's pretty cool and modern to see him having to deal with his daily life too, says Eddie Redmayne.
The book and film take place in the 1960s in an analog world where the police and security services frantically flip through passport applications, birth certificates, and hotel bookings to find The Jackal, but are always one step behind.
Now we live in a time where digital footprints are collected in real-time. That placed special demands on the screenwriters to come up with ways for The Jackal to get away.
It's gone so far with facial recognition that when I worked with the makeup artists, they told me they'd been contacted by spy organizations that need their help, because now everyone's recognized by surveillance cameras, says Eddie Redmayne and laughs.
The Englishman Eddie Redmayne, 42, was awarded an Oscar for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the film "The Theory of Everything".
He has also been seen in films like "The Danish Girl", "Les Misérables", and "The Good Nurse", as well as playing Newt Scamander in the three "Fantastic Beasts" films.
