From the minute he showed up in Thor in 2011, fans began wondering if Marvel was ever going to give Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye his own movie. It wasn’t until last year that Kevin Feige confirmed that this was indeed the original plan. But once Disney+ came into the picture, Marvel reconsidered its position on where and how Clint’s story should unfold.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Hawkeye executive producer Trin Tranh explained why Marvel opted for a six-episode TV series instead of a film. In the long run, the decision boiled down to how much the producers wanted to accomplish in a single story.
“We decided to move Hawkeye from the feature side over to the Disney+ side for [creative flexibility],” said Tran. “The big question was, ‘How are we going to fit all of this into a two-hour timeframe? We have an Avenger whose backstory we haven’t quite had time to explore yet. We also have to introduce a new character [Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop], as well as allow enough time for them to bond and create that special dynamic that everybody finds so appealing in the comics.’ So, in moving it over, it allowed us six hours, three times as much time, which really gave us the creative flexibility we needed to tell the story.”
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Aside from Kate Bishop, Hawkeye will also serve as a launching pad for Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo. Last week’s Disney+ Day event revealed that Cox’s character will soon headline her own TV show. Better Call Saul alum Marion Dayre is leading the spinoff’s writers room. Needless to say, the Marvel bosses are big fans of the hit AMC series. And this definitely played a role in Tony Dalton’s Hawkeye casting as Jack Duquesne/Swordsman.
“I absolutely love Tony Dalton from Better Call Saul!” added Tran. “When we were talking about who would be great as Jack Duquesne, Tony obviously came to mind because he is incredible in that series. He brings a different tone to this particular character that people haven’t quite seen yet. I can’t say much about his character in the series, but as you can see in the earlier episodes, there’s a quality in Jack that will hopefully intrigue people into figuring out what’s happening.”
Hawkeye will air its first two episodes on Disney+ on November 24.
Do you share Tran’s view that TV was the right vehicle for Renner’s character? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon
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