Peacock's spy thriller The Day of the Jackal, based on Frederick Forsyth's novel and cited as an influence on Reacher, is preparing for a second season that faces a significant creative challenge following its Season 1 finale. The show diverged sharply from the source material by having assassin The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) kill his pursuer Bianca (Lashana Lynch), rather than the reverse, in a deliberate move by producers to sustain the series as an ongoing franchise rather than a one-off adaptation. This leaves Season 2 needing to invent an entirely new antagonist dynamic capable of matching the tension between the two leads without simply repeating the same cat-and-mouse formula.

Season 1 earned an 84% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes after premiering in November 2024, and filming on Season 2 began in February 2026 with Redmayne returning. New cast members joining include Pablo Schreiber and Weruche Opia, alongside Matt Bomer, who will serve as the primary antagonist, though further plot and character details remain undisclosed. The production has also seen a change behind the scenes, with original series creator and Season 1 lead writer Ronan Bennett stepping down and David Harrower, known for Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth, taking over as showrunner.