No, there’s no planned Hawkeye series for Netflix in the immediate future. If there was, though, Jeremy Renner says he’d be up to doing it.
Our friends at ComicBook.com have a report of Renner’s panel appearance at this weekend’s Silicon Valley Comic Con. When asked specifically if he would be interested in a potential series on the streaming service akin to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, Renner offered the following:
“I think that’s actually a really great model, if there’s ever a way to explore the character, maybe it’s in that world. These are things that are really not in my control, but I’d be open to it. I’ve really enjoyed getting to explore the character more recently. The Netflix model is where all the character drama goes to now, you’re doing a superhero movie or a Netflix or HBO kind of model. So I’d be open to it. Not up to me, though.”
Renner had previously shot down the idea of pursuing any kind of standalone Hawkeye movie, seeming content to be part of the team films. Over the years, he’s seemed to warm even more to the role, especially given the boost to character and backstory he received in last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
It’s great to see he’d be up for exploring the character in further depth. But, as he points out, the decision on a series really isn’t up to him.
Though the film version hasn’t quite met with our expectations of the character — I really would’ve preferred more of a [former] 616 universe approach than the heavy reliance on the [former] Ultimate Universe take on the Avenging Archer; though I really did enjoy the family twist and relationship they revealed in Ultron — both our editor-in-chief Craig Byrne and I are big fans of Clint Barton. I think we’d both welcome a Hawkeye series.
I know many would like to see an adaptation of Matt Fraction and David Aja’s run of the comics featuring Barton, “Lady” Hawkeye Kate Bishop, and the Pizza Dog. Personally, I’d love to see a run based on Mark Gruenwald’s classic Hawkeye limited series from 1983.
Of course, the MCU’s Barton is married to Laura with children. Plus, its Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse is involved in a comics!Barton-esque relationship with Lance Hunter, so some changes would likely be in order.
The excitement of this idea aside, one of the advantages to the Netflix model is that it can introduce Marvel characters that would likely never find their way into an MCU film on the big screen. And given the choice, I’d much rather have the long-teased Moon Knight series or a Nightstalkers series featuring back-in-the-fold, MCU versions of Blade and Ghost Rider fighting the supernatural first.
The opportunity to get more Hawkeye and explore his past would be fun, though.