Eddie Redmayne fans have claimed the British actor could be the ‘next James Bond‘ after gushing over his ripped physique in a new trailer for the upcoming Peacock series The Day of the Jackal.
The Day of the Jackal is an adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name and sees Redmayne – who reportedly earned $1,299,550 per episode – play the titular character who is a ruthless assassin being pursued by a British intelligence officer Bianca (played by Lashana Lynch).
The dramatic trailer, which is set the backdrop of the Radiohead song Everything In Its Right Place, begins with the Jackal murdering someone using a sniper rifle as Bianca describes him as ‘an exceptional assassin, who will kill again’ before she claims: ‘I know I can find him.’
Labeled a ‘mimic,’ the two-and-a-half minute clip shows Redmayne’s dangerous character travelling all around the globe for his work and appears to hint at a romance with a woman named Nuria (Úrsula Corberó).
In one scene she asks him: ‘What do you do?’ to which he replies: ‘If I told you the truth, then I’ll lose you,’ before a man working alongside Bianca tells her: ‘This is a wild goose chase and it’s not helping our department’s reputation,’ as she becomes frustrated with the task of finding the Jackal.
Eddie Redmayne fans have claimed he could be the ‘next James Bond ‘ after seeing his ripped physique in The Day of the Jackal trailer
Eddie plays an ‘exceptional assassin’ in the new series which is an adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name
Viewers get a glimpse of a topless Redmayne, 42, in the trailer and fans were delighted at his transformation for the action-packed role and declared he could be the next 007.
Commenting on the trailer on YouTube, one person wrote: ‘Never considered Eddie Redmayne for Bond until now,’ while another claimed: ‘Man’s intro promises he could be the next James Bond… Just my two cents.’
A third person urged: ‘Make him the next James Bond already!’ while another commented: ‘Ah it’s the new 007.’
Someone else observed: ‘This sounds like Nomi, the new 007, being sent by MI6 to take down the Jackal,’ while another fan said: ‘Stop searching… Eddie would be the PERFECT James Bond!!!’
A different viewer asked: ‘His open audition for Bond? 007,’ and another simply added: ‘Wow, Bond consideration open.’
Others were just excited to see Redmayne playing a different type of character as one person said: ‘I think this is his first action role. I like it,’ and another wrote: ‘Eddie Redmayne – good for him – his first action role I think.’
The Les Misérables actor appeared on Today on Wednesday morning and spoke to host Savannah Guthrie about his latest role and having to wear a prosthetic bald cap in one scene.
‘There are surreal moments, there were a few of these looks,’ he explained. ‘Of course, the prosthetics get stuck on down to your chest so when your top was off, it would look very bizarre.
The series also stars Lashana Lynch as a British intelligence officer named Bianca
Eddie wore various prosthetics in order to transform as a brutal assassin in various countries all around the world
One fan claimed that Eddie would be the ‘perfect James Bond’ in the comments on YouTube
Another viewer admitted they had never ‘considered Eddie Redmayne for Bond until now’
A different person kept their comment simple and said they would consider the actor for Bond
‘But what I love about the piece is it really invests in the artistry of the prosthetic artists and all the intricacies of sculpting these things and how you put them on.
‘And one of the oddness’ was I spoke to one of the prosthetic artists who described how many of those spy agencies do use that now because there is all the facial recognition.’
Redmayne also revealed that he worked with a ‘sort of military and espionage adviser’ who taught him various techniques on how to walk down the street and look at reflections in car windows and mirrors to see people discreetly.
The Day of the Jackal starts on Peacock on November 14.
