All of the information fans have gotten regarding the upcoming Hawkeye series before production stopped was that it would focus on Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. Additionally, considering the logo reveal at last year's SDCC, the series would seem to be heavily inspired by the work of Matt Fraction.
After the convention, roles were filled with the show runner being former Mad Men scribe, Jonathan Igla . Concept art was also released that showed even more influence from Fraction's run with the inclusion of a dog, likely fan-favorite Lucky.
However, production is beginning again in the coming weeks, as indicated by newly hired directors for the show such as Bert and Bertie of Amazon's Troop Zero and Rhys Thomas, the director of Comrade Detective and John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch .
Even better, casting is seemingly being underway for the show, as shown with this latest news.
NEWS
The Illuminerdi found a cast listing for Hawkeye , now currently casting for the role with the following description:
- Name: Arek
- Male
- Eastern European
- 20's - early 30's
- Appearance in 4-5 episodes
"Arek" is not the character's actual name, but a codename to hide their identity, as is typical of casting lists. But, the character in question is described as an Eastern European male who is between their 20s or 30s. So, younger than Clint Barton, but older than Kate Bishop.
Additionally, they're listed to appear in at least 5-6 episodes of the series, which points to a rather large role in the show.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Considering this is one of the first signs of casting news being underway and it already has its two chosen protagonists with Hawkeye and Kate Bishop, one would expect this role to belong to the primary antagonist or another high-ranking supporting character. Since the series is going to be heavily influenced by Matt Fraction's run of the character, it's easy to guess that they would continue to originate from that run.
So, if it's a villain, there are two good options: Ivan Banionis and Kazimierz Kazimierczak. In the comics, Ivan (possibly Russian) is a member of a gang dubbed the Tracksuit Draculas. He is also the landlord of the building Barton is staying at. Clint buys the building out from him and forces him to leave the country. While Ivan in the comics looks to be far older than specified in the cast listing, Marvel Studios could always just make him younger.
Then there's Ivan Kazimierz or "The Clown," who is an assassin hired by various gangs, and at one point is hired by the Draculas to kill Hawkeye. He's a far more proactive antagonist who fits the correct age range, along with being from Easter Europe.
Whoever the casting is for, it'll be interesting to potentially see Barton's character go in a more humorous direction, considering the source material and potential villains involved.
