‘Hawkeye’ Season 2 Doubtful After Jeremy Renner Rejects “Insult” Pay Cut From Disney: “Did You Think I’m Only Half The Jeremy Because I Got Ran Over?”
In a development that will likely keep both Kate Bishop and Clint Barton’s quivers collecting dust for the foreseeable future, Marvel star Jeremy Renner has revealed that he and Marvel Studios are currently on the outs thanks to the latter’s “insulting” attempt to drastically reduce his originally-agreed-upon pay rate for Hawkeye Season 2.
Renner provided this MCU-related production update while making an appearance on the High Performance podcast, a UK-based show hosted by former BT Sport’s Premier League pundit Jake Humphrey and sports performance expert Damian Hughes wherein the pair interview successful individuals from various industries and pick their brains for insights and advice, in promotion of his new memoir My Next Breath.
Though the full extent of Renner’s appearance is currently relegated to premium subscribers of the show’s mobile app (which itself is unavailable for download to users outside of the UK), Humphrey and Hughes shared an excerpt of the episode’s relevant portion to the official High Performance TikTok account.
Therein, after being asked for a status update regarding another round of Hawkeye, the long-time Marvel star can be seen telling his hosts that while he would love to pick up the bow one more time, Disney’s underhanded business practices convinced him to walk away from the show.
“They asked me to do Season 2, and they offered me half the money,” recalled Renner. “I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and so…eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount.’ 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?'”
Offering a clarification, the actor then noted, “This is not Marvel, mind you. This is like, just Disney, not even really Disney. It’s just the penny pinchers, the accountants.”
“I told them to go fly a kite,” he further detailed. “I mean, just at the insult offer. So we didn’t see eye to eye on it. Sadly, I still love the character – I’d still love to do it – but I had to defend myself. I didn’t ask for any more money, mind you. Just pay me what I made in the first season.”
“So it’s all disheartening that that didn’t happen, but that’s fine,” he ultimately admitted. “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.”
As readers may recall, Renner’s mentions of being “only half the Jeremy because I got ran over” and “my body’s probably thanking me” refers to the now infamous moment in January 2023 when, in (successfully) attempting to save his nephew from suffering the same fate, he was run over by a snowcat snowplow.
Crushed by over 14,000 lbs of machinery, the actor was initially given a very slim chance of survival, but eventually pulled through and made a full recovery thanks to the swift response of skilled medical professionals and his own physical fitness/personal resilience.
Notably, Renner’s appearance on High Performance marks the first time that anyone has offered official confirmation that a second season of Hawkeye is – or at least was – actively in the works.
Prior to this, the most recent rhetoric from either Disney or Marvel Studios surrounding a potential return for the two Hawkeyes seemed to indicate that nothing concrete had yet been decided upon.
“Hawkeye is another one that feels like you can make a second season of that show because it’s Christmas, because it’s Clint and Kate.” Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum told Entertainment Weekly in February when asked about the prospect. “You can kind of revisit it whenever, and we’re looking for opportunities to do that. But as we develop things for the future, I think they’re going to be designed to be multiple seasons, have more of a pattern, and be able to be released annually.”
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