Not much is yet known about the upcoming Hawkeye series, but there have been various casting rumors circulating for some time. Well, the rumor mill continues to churn, with a recent report claiming that Bumblebee star Hailee Steinfeld will indeed be joining the cast of the Disney+ Marvel series. The report states that Steinfeld has signed on to play Kate Bishop, the prot&ég&é of Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, with the series focussing on Barton training Bishop in the ways of Hawkeye so that she can take on the superhero mantle.
Hailee Steinfeld has been rumored for the role for quite some time, with the actress saying previously, “[t]hat’s not something that’s necessarily happening. We’re going to wait and find out, I guess.” It was also reported recently that Steinfeld was no longer in the running to join the show, but, if this new report is to be believed, an agreement was met and she will, in fact, be the next Hawkeye and newest Avenger.
The character, Kate Bishop, was created for Marvel comics by Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung, with Bishop making her first appearance in the first issue of Young Avengers back in 2005. Much like Barton, she is a highly skilled archer and martial artist, and has fought alongside The Avengers, as well as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Ant-Man, with both characters having taken on the superhero roles of their predecessors.
Steinfeld meanwhile would be a welcome addition to the Disney+ show, with the actress having proven her talent for both action and drama in the likes of Bumblebee, Charlie’s Angels, The Edge of Seventeen, Dickinson, and True Grit. She has also dabbled in the comic book movie genre before, providing the voice of Gwen Stacy in 2018’s critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
While not much is known about the direction of the Disney+ series, the addition of Steinfeld as Kate Bishop seemingly confirms that part of the series will focus the relationship between Clint Barton and Bishop, with the former taking Bishop under his wing in order to pass on the mantle and keep the superhero train chugging along. There have also been rumors that the show is looking to cast an actor for The Clown, one of Hawkeye’s most notorious protagonists, who runs into Hawkeye and Kate Bishop in the comics.
Jeremy Renner will be reprising the role of Clint Barton for the Hawkeye series, with the actor having played one of the founding members of The Avengers since the first Thor movie back in 2011. The character was last seen taking on time travel and Thanos in last year’s Avengers: Endgame, in which Barton turned to brutal vigilantism for a time, before being reunited with his family.
Hawkeye will be one of a few shows based in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the likes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision also scheduled to hit Disney+ in the near future.
Steinfeld’s casting has not yet been confirmed in an official capacity, but with the show hoping to begin production again in October, the timing makes a lot of sense. This comes to us courtesy of The Illuminerdi. The topper art comes from Mizuri AU at Art Station.
