If you see Eddie Redmayne eating caviar for breakfast, lunch and tea or heading on serious shopping sprees all of a sudden, it might be because his astronomical wages for his latest role have just landed in his bank account.
If the rumours are true, the actor, 42, will be absolutely rolling in it when he cashes his cheque for starring in Sky and Peacock’s upcoming thriller series, which is set to be released later this year.
The seasoned screen star – best known for his roles in Les Misérables, The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl and the Fantastic Beasts film series – is supposedly being paid a whopping £1,000,000 per episode for the gig.
So the drinks are on Redmayne, everyone. Rack ’em up!
Everything’s coming up Eddie (oto by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
He will star as a ruthless British assassin in The Day of the Jackal, which retells the story of Frederick Forsyth’s classic 1971 novel of the same name.
Cinema fans might recall that a movie about the chilling book was produced back in 1973, starring Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale, but now the terrifying tale will finally be on our TVs.
Take a look at the trailer here:
The official 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.”
Redmayne, who is also serving an executive producer on the series, will play the villainous Jackal opposite Lashana Lynch in the new show which reimagines Forsyth’s hit novel in a modern day setting.
And according to the Mirror, much like his character, the Brit will also be making an absolute killing thanks to The Day of the Jackal.
Redmayne is reportedly going to scoop £10 million for the ten episodes – but it does sort of make sense.
Eddie Redmayne is reportedly making a killing for his role in The Day of the Jackal (Sky/Carnival Films)
The show, which is said to be Sky’s most expensive series ever, has a hefty budget of £100 million as its creators have got their fingers crossed that it will be a global hit as it’s being streamed on Peacock too.
So it’s no wonder they didn’t want to skimp on the talent, to be fair.
A source told the publication: “Many TV companies and broadcasters are struggling with budgets being squeezed, but not with high-end drama for a global audience involving the streamer.
“If you can do a deal with one of them, you can absolutely break the bank.”
The Day of the Jackal is being produced for Sky and Peacock by the production company behind Downton Abbey, Carnival Films, while Top Boy writer Ronan Bennett is behind the script.
Carnival Films CEO and executive producer Gareth Neame said they were ‘incredibly fortunate to have an actor of Eddie’s calibre as our Jackal‘, while praising the ‘first-class creative team’ working on the series.
The actor will star as a ruthless killer who has a British intelligence officer on his tail (Sky/Carnival Films)
Plenty of familiar faces will make an appearance in The Day of the Jackal too, as the cast includes the likes of Money Heist and Snatch star Úrsula Corberó, Game Of Thrones actor Charles Dance, as well as The Walking Dead alum Eleanor Matsuura.
Redmayne previously revealed that he used the one and only David Bowie as his muse while undergoing his transformation into the Jackal.
Speaking of how he mastered his character’s facial expressions with movement coach Alex Reynolds, he said: “We found this brilliant interview of David Bowie back from the 70s or 80s, a rare occasion in which he was interviewed just as himself rather than any huge costumes.
“He was talking about using costume and makeup and personas as a disguise to mask himself. That was intriguing.”
The Day of the Jackal is set to drop on Sky Atlantic and Now on 7 November, so get that date in your diaries if you want to watch Redmayne’s multi-million pound performance.
Sky declined to comment on speculation surrounding the star’s earnings.
LADbible has contacted Eddie Redmayne’s representatives for a comment.
