The recent delay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four output isn’t just limited to the movies, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also being pushed back by an indefinite amount of time after being omitted from Disney Plus’ list of August releases. With the big and small screen arms of the franchise set to be linked closer than ever before, it didn’t come as much of a surprise that the MCU’s first foray into television would end up being delayed to accommodate Black Widow.
While things have remained virtually radio silent on WandaVision, Hawkeye was rumored to be getting delayed months before the Coronavirus pandemic came along and started wreaking havoc with the entertainment industry’s calendar. The six-episode series isn’t expected to arrive until the first quarter of 2022 at the earliest, meaning that there’s still plenty of time for the pieces to fall into place.
However, with Phase Four set to replace all of the Phase One Avengers with the notable exception of Iron Man, casting the lead role of Clint Barton’s protege Kate Bishop could make or break the entire show, with the MCU’s next Hawkeye set to play a major role in the franchise going forward.
Hailee Steinfeld was said to be one of the frontrunners for the part, although the actress cast some doubt on it herself not too long ago. But a new report now claims that the Academy Award-nominated star has signed on the dotted line to lead Hawkeye. As per The Illuminerdi, shooting is also scheduled to start in Atlanta as soon as October, meaning that an official announcement shouldn’t be too far away should the news turn out to be true.
Out of all the names linked to Kate Bishop, Steinfeld always felt like the best fit for the role, with the 23 year-old already a Hollywood veteran with a string of acclaimed performances under her belt. Not to mention Bumblebee proved that she’s no slouch when it came to effects-heavy action, either. And with Jeremy Renner poised to be the latest veteran to bid farewell to the MCU, Steinfeld would be a more than adequate replacement in the long run.
