It’s Amazon’s #1 series: What important event in French history inspired the thriller starring Eddie Redmayne?

In August 1962, General Charles de Gaulle narrowly escaped an attack organized by the Organization of the Secret Army (OAS), a terrorist group opposed to the far-right Algerian independence movement.

This important episode of French history inspired the novel Jackal Published in 1971 by Frederick Forsyth, as well as many adaptations that followed, including the new series The Day of the Jackal with Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal.

The Petit-Clamart attack: the decisive moment

On August 22, 1962, as Charles de Gaulle left the Elysées for the airport at Villacoublay, an OAS commando ambushed his procession in Petit-Clamart, a suburb of Paris. Assailants armed with machine guns opened fire on the presidential car. Miraculously, the armored car and the coolness of the driver allowed the general and his wife Yvonne to escape the attack, which still left several impacts on the hull.

This plot, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Bastien-Thier, is a symbol of the bitter opposition that de Gaulle engendered among some former supporters of French Algeria. The failure of this attack is not only a turning point in the struggle between the OAS and the government, but also in the history of the French security services, which significantly strengthened their protocols after this event.

A modern reinterpretation

In this version, Day of the Jackal modernizes the story while respecting its essence. If the novel and 1973 movie Faithfully following the plot against de Gaulle, the series now focuses on contemporary issues, particularly political tensions and the dangers posed by new technologies.

Eddie Redmayne Plays the role of a masked assassination expert who is involved in a difficult mission and is hunted by an MI6 agent played by Lashana Lynch. The series is distinguished by the psychological depth given to the characters. Jackal, once known as “The Shadow”, now faces personal, family and moral dilemmas. This choice offers an additional dimension to this iconic figure of the thriller.

While moving away from the precise framework of the attack against de Gaulle, the series does not lose the root of its plot. History buffs will see a flashback to a defining moment of the 20th century in Germany with the assassination of a legislative candidate who is expected to become the next chancellor.

The first five episodes of The Day of Jackal are currently available on Prime Video.