While MCU fans prepare for the next two big releases this year with What If...? on August 11 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on September 3, Marvel Studios also threw in its first round of hype for Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.
The first official image from the ten-year veteran's Disney+ show recently went public along with the official announcement that it will begin streaming on November 24, 2021. Barring any unexpected overlap in releases, this will likely mean Hawkeye will be the last of five Disney+ entries in 2021, Marvel's first year utilizing the streaming service for the MCU.
While story details are still largely under wraps, much of the plot will see Clint Barton taking on a new role as a mentor to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, a highly skilled archer in her own right. Bishop will be yet another younger hero to join the fray, and this series will be her first step toward being a key player in the MCU's eventual Young Avengers team as well.
As Barton embraces his status as a Bishop's mentor within the MCU's new story, it appears that there is a heavy dose of life imitating art in this situation at the same time.
RENNER'S BOND WITH STEINFELD
Entertainment Weekly spoke with Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner about his relationship with Kate Bishop actress Hailee Steinfeld, particularly with her status as an MCU newcomer.
Renner made it clear that part of his off-screen role in Hawkeye with Steinfeld entailed "protecting her and giving her the CliffsNotes" on the Marvel Studios "superhero life" experience.
Specifically touching on how much "physical stuff" is involved, Renner praised her as a "wonderful actress" and a "wonderful human," expressing his excitement to see her in action:
"That was always my role. Outside of acting in the thing, I was protecting her and giving her the CliffsNotes on how it goes with this kind of filmmaking: Green screen, superhero life, all that stuff I just wanted to protect her, because there's a lot of physical stuff. She's a wonderful actress, a wonderful human, and I can't wait to see all the cool stuff that she's able to do."
NEW TERRITORY FOR STEINFELD
Hailee Steinfeld is clearly no stranger to the acting world with nearly 15 years of experience under her belt at only 24 years old. She's already seen success critically with an Oscar nomination in 2010, and she got a taste of the Marvel world by starring as Spider-Gwen in 2018's highly-acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from Sony.
Even with this kind of history, Renner clearly wanted the young star to have all the tools and protection necessary to make her new challenges with Marvel as easy as possible. After all, having seen more than his fair share of action in the MCU since his first appearance in 2011's Thor, he knows as well as anybody what a beast this franchise can be.
Although Renner and Steinfeld may not have the same physical endeavors as their high-powered cohorts, the two still have plenty of action to handle during their fight sequences. On top of this, Hawkeye will easily be the most high-profile endeavor of Steinfeld's career as she brings a long-awaited MCU superhero to life.
While it's unclear how much longer Renner will don the bow and arrow, he appears to be embracing the double duties in his first headlining experience as both actor and teacher. There will certainly be plenty of in-depth stories to look forward to when the show airs, especially with Steinfeld's MCU tenure kicking off.
Hawkeye will officially premiere on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
