Marvel Director Explains the Major Way Hawkeye Differs from WandaVision & Every MCU Show

Rounding out the MCU's tenure on Disney+ in 2021 is Hawkeye, which will finally give Clint Barton his own solo project.

Several bits of promotional material have been shared in anticipation of the show's November 24 release, with one teaser even calling back to a line from Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The official poster also teased Hawkeye and Kate Bishop taking aim, in addition to a new look at the MCU's version of Lucky the Pizza Dog.

Executive producer Trinh Tran had a lot of praise for MCU newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, knowing the actress was perfect for Kate Bishop as early as the first day they met for the role. 

Unlike previous Marvel series such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there are three directors attached to the Jeremy Renner-led series.

Now, the lead creatives of the show have explained how sharing directorial duties impacted the show's production.

Hawkeye Directors Discuss Working as a Trio

Marvel

Via GamesRadar, Hawkeye director Rhys Thomas and directorial duo Bert and Bertie were interviewed by Total Film, where they explained the advantages and challenges of working as a team of directors on the project.

Thomas began by comparing the approach to direction television and feature films, with Hawkeye falling "in this middle ground" with "so much story to carry:"

"The way TV is run is obviously different to features...In features, it's more director forward and sometimes you might have multiple writers. We were in this middle ground where you've got Jonathan Igla and the writing team that have so much [to do] because you've got so many episodes and so much story to carry."

Thomas described their team of directors as an "all-encompassing brain" due to the trio having an understanding of all aspects of the Hawkeye production.

In comparison to shows like WandaVision or Loki which featured only one director at the helm, multiple directors on Hawkeye meant having to "keep in sync throughout" and "sharing the crew" on overlapping production days, according to Thomas:

"We would just try and keep in sync throughout. The way we shot it, Bert and Bertie and I, there were some days where we overlapped. I might come in the morning and then hand it off to them, sharing the crew. It was all unique and a fine balance."

Bertie went on to discuss working with executive producer Trinh Tran, the latter of whom "was never about sticking to the old plan or sticking religiously to a character's backstory:"

"She's got her own strong opinions on things, but instinctively, she knows what feels right for the Marvel universe as well...As we've all been seeing with TV, it's a bit about breaking the mold at this point, so Trinh was never about sticking to the old plan or sticking religiously to a character's backstory. Hawkeye, for instance, is a little bit unlike we've seen him. But Jeremy [Renner] was fully invested in this tone, so she's always been about the freshness of it.”

How Hawkeye Differs From WandaVision

Every MCU series released on Disney+ thus far has had a singular director leading the charge. Hawkeye appears to be breaking the mold in this regard, and it looks like it won't be the last series to do so.

Every upcoming Marvel Studios-produced show will also feature a team of directors heading their respective projects, with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Meera Menon, Billal Fallah, and Adil El Arbi all directing various episodes of Ms. Marvel and far-off series like She-Hulk hiring multiple directors.

WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki all found success under one director's vision, but a Marvel Studios project is quite the task to put all on one person. Though it seems to have taken a bit more coordination between all the creative leads with Hawkeye, Marvel's commitment to employing directing teams moving forward proves that the studio has found success with this approach.

The first two episodes of Hawkeye premiere on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.