Netflix’s Jackdaws Is the WWII Spy Thriller You Didn’t Know You Needed — All-Female Cast, D-Day Drama & More!

If you love gripping wartime espionage with fierce women at the centre of it all, Netflix's upcoming miniseries Jackdaws just jumped to the top of your watchlist. Based on Ken…

By Reetam Bodhak

May 6, 2026

3 min read

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If you love gripping wartime espionage with fierce women at the centre of it all, Netflix’s upcoming miniseries Jackdaws just jumped to the top of your watchlist. Based on Ken Follett’s bestselling 2001 novel, this French co-production is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious WWII dramas the streamer has ever greenlit.

What Is Jackdaws About?

The show follows a network of five French civilian women tasked with infiltrating a Nazi castle housing a key German communications hub — and dismantling it right before the Allies launch their D-Day offensive in Normandy. With the story unfolding over just one week in May 1944, expect a pulse-pounding, near real-time tension that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.

Jackdaws: Cast & Crew

The show is written by Camille Treiner, the co-writer behind the highly-rated Women at War, joined by Mathieu Missoffe and Chloé Marçais, with all six episodes directed by Mona Bauer. whats-on-netflix

Role	Actor
Betty Clairet (Spy Mastermind)	Laetitia Casta
French TV Veteran	Mathilde Seigner
Up-and-Coming Star	Lina El Arabi
Comedy Legend	Mickaël Youn
Supporting Cast	Bérangère McNeese, Alexandre Brasseur & more

Laetitia Casta, a former international supermodel with numerous leading roles in French cinema and television, takes on the role of widow Betty Clairet — the mastermind of the spy network — making this something of a casting coup given her relatively limited TV credits.

Where & When Is It Filming?

The series is currently shooting across France through late July 2026, with locations spanning Normandy, Paris, and the Île-de-France area — filming in various castles with close attention paid to period production design.

The show will premiere first on French broadcaster TF1 before launching globally on Netflix, with a 2027 release expected given the production timetable.

For more upcoming Netflix series and streaming news, check out TechnoSports Entertainment — your go-to hub for the latest in OTT and beyond.

Why Jackdaws Could Be Netflix’s Next Big Hit?

Think Band of Brothers meets The Crown, filtered through a sharp French lens. The project brings together production company Empreinte Digitale — known for Marianne and Furies — alongside TF1 and Netflix in what is shaping up to be one of the streamer’s most ambitious European co-productions. The real-time thriller format, a near-entirely female lead ensemble, and a story set at the most pivotal moment of WWII is a recipe that streaming audiences absolutely eat up. whats-on-netflix

Stay updated on more such binge-worthy picks on TechnoSports.

FAQs

**Q: When will Jackdaws release on Netflix?**

A: A 2027 release is expected — the series will air on TF1 in France first, then roll out globally on Netflix shortly after.

**Q: Is Jackdaws based on a true story?**

A: No, it’s based on Ken Follett’s 2001 fictional novel, though it is set against the very real historical backdrop of the D-Day preparations in 1944.