If you heard the rumors that a “Hawkeye” season two was in the works on Disney+, well, it turns out those rumors were correct. Unfortunately, it sounds like it won’t happen thanks to a Marvel lowball offer that offended its star, Jeremy Renner.
In a new interview with High Performance, promoting his new book “My Last Breath,” Renner says Marvel offered him half the salary of what he made from season one, and the actor turned it down flat.
READ MORE: ‘Hawkeye’ Review: Jeremy Renner & Hailee Steinfeld Hit The Target In The Delightful, Joyful Holiday Series
“They asked me to do season two, and they offered me half the money. I’m like, ‘Well, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount,’” he explained.
Renner suggested, seemingly offended that Marvel offered him less money because of his 2023 snowmobile accident, which is the focus of his new book and almost cost the actor his life.
“I’m like, ‘I’m sorry? Why? Did you think I’m only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that’s why you want to pay me half of what I made on the first season.’”
In a near-fatal accident on New Year’s Day, Renner was crushed by his own 14,000-pound PistenBully snowcat while attempting to help his nephew, who was stuck in the snow. The actor was hospitalized for blunt force trauma, sustained over 36 broken bones, and his left eye popped out of its socket due to a fractured orbital bone. Renner’s new book speaks to much of the emotional and physical trauma sustained by the brutal accident.
“This is not Marvel, mind you. This is like, just Disney, not even really Disney. It’s just the penny pinchers, the accountants,” he continued, trying to push the blame off his Marvel compatriots. “I told them to go fly a kite. I mean, just at the insult [of the] offer. So we didn’t see eye to eye on it.”
Renner’s not ruling out a return to the Hawkeye character, but this incident could be why the actor’s name was absent from the “Avengers: Doomsday” cast.
“Sadly, I still love the character. I’d still love to do it, but I had to defend myself,” he explained. “I didn’t ask for any more money, mind you. Just pay me what I made made the first season. So it’s all disheartening that that didn’t happen, but that’s fine. I’m happy to let that go because my body’s probably thanking me, time and time again, that I’m not doing it right now. But we’ll see.”
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Will Renner ever play the Clint Barton character again? Will Marvel want him back after being called out like this? Given he didn’t shade Bob Iger or Kevin Feige, it probably seems fine, but perhaps bottom-dollar penny pinching for a member of the original A6 “Avengers” shows that Hollywood is still struggling post-COVID, post-strikes, and worried about the bottom line.
The first season of “Hawkeye” aired in late 2021 and co-starred Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh. Rumors have it that Steinfeld will appear in a “Young Avengers” series named “Champions” on Disney+, but so far those rumors have yet to be substantiated.
@high_performance Jeremy Renner reveals why Hawkeye Season 2 never happened… 👀🏹 Jeremy’s episode with us is available now, exclusively on the High Performance App! 🙌 Jeremy Renner’s ‘My Next Breath’ is available in all formats now, published by Simon & Schuster UK #avengers #jeremyrenner #hawkeye #hawkeyeseason2 #disneyplus ♬ original sound – High Performance
