Jeremy Renner to play Hawkeye?

Jeremy Renner, who played Sgt. William James in The Hurt Locker earlier this year, may be in talks with Marvel to play Hawkeye. The Playlist have a quote from the actor which appeared in the latest issue of Empire magazine:

Renner says he and Marvel have been in discussions about playing the archer character Hawkeye that will make appearances in a least two upcoming Marvel pictures, including a cameo in “Thor” and then a role in “The Avengers” supergroup.

“Hawkeye could be interesting. They’re going to send me some stuff on it, see what it is. But I think they’re pretty awesome, trying to make superhero movies almost plausible and not just some fantasy thing.”

Jeremy Renner would be a great choice for Hawkeye. In the comics Hawkeye joined the Avengers by breaking into their Headquarters. Here’s a bit more info on the character:

Orphaned at a young age, Clint Barton took the classic way out for a precocious and physically capable kid – he ran away from home and joined the circus. There, he was trained as an acrobat and archer, although he later received a rude awakening when he discovered that his carnival mentors were criminals.

Inspired by the exploits of the Avengers, he became the costumed vigilante Hawkeye, and was eventually able to talk his way onto the team. His hot-headed attitude has gotten him into trouble from time to time, but his heart has always been in the right place, and for a time he enjoyed a successful stint as the leader of the West Coast Avengers.