The Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in Marvel’s The Avengers rumor is back, only this time it has “final negotiations” stapled to it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Renner has entered final negotiations with Marvel to play Hawkeye because Universal’s Battlship, the project he was interested in headlining, is moving forward at a tugboat’s pace. The Hawkeye role is expected to be small so Renner would be able to jump ship quickly should Battleship pick up steam.
The confirmed Avengers actors including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America have reportedly taken pay cuts to keep the project’s budget within reason. Ed Norton aka The Hulk has yet to sign a deal and it’s unclear whether his presence would be necessary if The Hulk was present but Bruce Banner never was.
Marvel has obviously not confirmed Renner’s negotiations for Hawkeye and would not comment until the presumed role was filled. Wouldn’t it be great to see the entire completed Avengers cast take the stage together at Comic-Con next month? It’s a bit early with the release two years out, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
