One of the sad consequences of Matt Damon's return to the Jason Bourne role is that it basically derails Jeremy Renner's sequel to The Bourne Legacy. It was his first crack at leading a solo franchise and while it didn't do huge numbers Renner made for a kickass super agent. Of course he has plenty of other franchise experience, and now we're getting updates on what could be another Marvel appearance, plus his potential return for a Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters sequel.
Renner's Hawkeye hasn't made an appearance since The Avengers, but with Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow adding so much to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (it's the second highest-grossing film of 2014), the plan could be to add the archer to Captain America 3. He tells MTV that the idea is being considered, while shooting down any notions of a Hawkeye solo film...for now.
Renner: "I’m happy to be the ensemble. I'm not scratching or clawing to do a solo movie by any means. I think he's a utility guy that can bounce around into other people’s universes a little bit, especially 'Cap 3'. There's whispers of that."
Hawkeye will be seen next battling a robotic James Spader in Avengers: Age of Ultron, hitting theaters on May 1st 2015. Captain America 3 sees the return of directors Joe and Anthony Russo, opening May 6th 2016.
Meanwhile, Renner is also open to the idea of coming back for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2, which director Tommy Wirkola recently finished scripting. The original film, a campy R-rated mash-up of fairy tales and monster movies, was trashed by critics but ended up scoring $225M worldwide. A sequel was quickly ordered up and Wirkola recently expressed his desire for Renner for Gemma Arterton to return if they could fit it into their busy schedules. For what it's worth, Renner seems very open to the idea even though he's not yet signed. He tells Cinemablend...
Renner: "I don't have any problem with it. Yeah. It was a lot of fun. It was fun to do that movie, and just have a ball."
We'll see what happens with that one. Renner next plays journalist Gary Webb in Kill the Messenger, opening on October 10th.
