Eddie Redmayne says his 'White Lotus envy was cured' by The Day of the Jackal

Eddie Redmayne, the star of the highly anticipated thriller The Day of the Jackal, has expressed his joy at landing a role that appeased his 'White Lotus envy'.

The esteemed actor is poised to take on the lead in the Sky and Now TV series, billed as a contemporary reimagining of Frederick Forsyth's iconic novel.

Depicting the tales of a shadowy assassin famed for executing contracts for the wealthiest bidders, the narrative unfolds into an enthralling pursuit by a dedicated British intelligence officer who seeks to foil his murderous assignments across the breadth of Europe.

In this engaging adaptation, Redmayne portrays the enigmatic Jackal, countered by Lashana Lynch's astute British intelligence agent, with their encounters set against a backdrop of varied and far-flung locales.

Redmayne has spoken out about how the opportunity to shoot in numerous luxurious locations eased a sense of longing he experienced during his time viewing the acclaimed series The White Lotus, reports .

Fans can anticipate the airing of the first five instalments starting at 9pm on November 7 on Sky TV, while it is also available to stream on Now TV.

Lashana shared her experiences of the global shoots ahead of the series debut.

Chatting to Extra TV, she revealed: "We shot for eight months out of Budapest. That's where a lot of the set builds were and shot on location in and around Budapest and a little bit in London and Croatia, which doubled as Afghanistan."

Acknowledging his previous pangs of jealousy while watching other high-profile shows, Redmayne admitted that filming across various countries helped quell the envy he felt while watching the HBO hit The White Lotus, which captivated UK audiences on Sky.

The first and second series of Lotus were set in Maui and Sicily respectively, among the surroundings of luxurious resorts.

Redmayne revealed: "When I used to sit and watch White Lotus, I'd be like, 'Why have I never had a job like that? Why do I never get to go to all these exotic climes? ' And so I feel like I manifested 'The Day of the Jackal' through a want to, and it was beautiful."

He also drew parallels between his latest role and the pressure of portraying a character within the Harry Potter universe, after he assumed the role of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts series.

"When I did Fantastic Beasts, I was like, 'This is gonna be the hardest, because the 'Harry Potter' movies have been, like, the most successful things ever. I've basically realised that's just kind of par for the course in acting, is each one in some way feels harder," he expressed.

"I loved the original movie and the book (Day of the Jackal), and I grew up watching the film. My family were obsessed with it, we had this kind of battered old VHS. And I love what the character represented because I love those thrillers.

"I love the cat-and-mouse element, but I find the kind of theatricality of it riveting. So for me, what I loved about the 'Jackal' when I was a kid was the disguises, the fact that in some ways he kind of is an actor."

The Day of the Jackal episodes 1-5 air from 9pm on Sky Atlantic and stream on Now TV with the final five episodes broadcast weekly at 9pm on Thursdays.