An eye for a nose: a detail from the original 1973 poster for *The Day of the Jackal.*

The Payday of the Jackal

When Frederick Forsyth wrote his groundbreaking thriller, he had no idea how successful—or how enduring—his tale of an assassin would be

By Chris Hastings

The Day of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth has revealed he sold the film rights for just £20,000 (around $25,000) – and will get next to nothing from the new $126,000,000 TV adaptation.

Eddie Redmayne, 42, is reportedly earning $12 million as assassin-for-hire the Jackal in the ten-part thriller on Sky Atlantic.