Given the fact that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is the fifth or sixth most popular member of Joss Whedon’s assembled Avengers team, I’m surprised at the sheer number of requests the actor gets for a solo, standalone Hawkeye adventure. Hawkeye has always been part of a team, and Renner has said so in the past.
But during his Reddit AMA this afternoon, Renner updated fans on the status of a Hawkeye movie, as well as his strong desire to get it done. You guys know the drill by now. An actor meets with the press (or fans) to promote one film – in this case, for Renner, it was Kill the Messenger -- but ends up fielding questions about a possible Marvel movie. When asked about the possibility of a Hawkeye movie, Renner elaborated:
In the last Avengers: Age of Ultron, we got to dive into him some more. Very excited about the outcome of it, and where it can go in the future. But all I can do is want. And that's all I can do. It all comes down to the content, and really how the puppeteers at Marvel can manifest a story that's worthy of a solo movie. Not sure what that is, or how that is, but I'm confident they can do whatever they want, if they want to do it. And I'd be game."
Lord knows Marvel has the slots reserved for a potential Hawkeye movie. The studio has carved out release dates through May 3, 2019 – and Marvel President Kevin Feige has said that he has the studio’s film plans mapped out through 2021 (and likely beyond).
At the same time, Marvel has promised movies based around characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, as well as sequels for suddenly-popular characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy. They have expressed interest in a Black Widow movie (which Scarlett Johansson has said she wants to do). And then there are Captain America and Thor sequels to juggle. Plus, Renner has multiple franchises in the Bourne movies and Mission: Impossible.
So Hawkeye, for the most part, will likely sit on the backburner, summoned to fight as part of The Avengers – or alongside characters like Iron Man, Cap or Thor if and when they get solo movies. I’m holding out hope for a West Coast Avengers movie. That would be so amazing:
Until then, we will see Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, opening everywhere next May.
