Celebrate The Holidays Hawkeye-Style
If you’ve yet to check out Hawkeye now on Disney+, you don’t know what you’re missing. The series debuted on November 24th and follows former Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has one simple mission – to get back to his family for Christmas.
Of course, in classic Marvel style, nothing is truly that easy. When a few ghosts from Clint’s past return, he teams up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) another skilled archer to crack a criminal conspiracy.
As you can see from these images as well as the plotline, Christmas takes center stage as the setting for the series. Marvel Head Kevin Feige had this to say about having the show take place during the holiday season, “I just love this time of year for the storytelling possibilities.” Feige continues, “I’ve always loved films, shows or specials that take place over the holiday season. There’s a heightened amount of emotion, or a heightened amount of conflict and tension, that can occur during this glorious season.”
The idea to set Hawkeye during the holiday season dates all the way back to early discussions regarding the series. The idea is for viewers to feel like they’re watching the action unfold over 6-days during the holidays. Feige said, “‘Will Clint make it home for Christmas?’ was a breath of fresh air after world-ending stakes, Celestials bursting out of planets [in Marvel Studios’ Eternals] and multiverse shenanigans [in various films and series]. This, like Hawkeye himself, is a grounded, family-based show.”
Two featurettes were recently released that give you a sense of the setting. Here’s the first!
If you’ve been following along with us here at MickeyBlog, you’ll know that the show is helmed by Rhys Thomas and is directed by duo Bert and Bertie. There are six episodes in the series which is set in post-blip New York City.
Though some of the external shots for the series where taken in New York City during Christmas 2020, Thomas admitted that they would often need to add Christmas elements to the sets. “We had to add snow that was melting on the streets all the time,” recalls Bertie. “We decided the snow was going to be heavy in the first couple of episodes and then it was going to drizzle out again; it’s not like a picture-perfect Christmas. It’s real.”
Some of the holiday elements for the show like the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree actually had be be recreated on sound stages to avoid spoilers. “They created an outdoor studio in Atlanta,” says Bert. “It was kind of amazing. It always helps to start with something practical and then build up from there. I think they scanned all of Rockefeller Center, and there were one or two connecting bits. They definitely did some practical, some not; spoilers were a huge factor.”
Another cool element of the series that we love is that Christmas evolves as the story evolves. “Christmas gets bigger and more glamorous as the season goes on—but it’s not just about the big, glamorous Christmas,” says Bertie. “It’s actually a little bit about sad Christmas. We’d say to Maya Shimoguchi, our production designer, ‘Oh, can we have a pop of sad Christmas back there?’ Clint’s trying to get back to his family. Christmas is all around, but he’s on his own. There’s a kind of melancholy to that… and Christmas can be a lonely time.”
You can check out the second “Meet Kate” featurette below:
We can’t think of a better way to ring in the holidays than with a little help from our Marvel friends. New episodes of Hawkeye debut Wednesdays exclusive on Disney+, Disney’s official streaming network. If you’re not already, NOW, is a good time to subscribe!
Readers are also encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for the latest Marvel & Disney news and updates!
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