It’s rare when two different pieces of news come together to form an even more awesome story. That’s the case here, as Jeremy Renner, star of last year’s critical success Hurt Locker, will be joining the ever growing greatness which is the upcoming Mission: Impossible 4 film.
Why is this such a big deal? That’s a three-part answer.
One: Renner has been a huge deal ever since working on Locker and even got cast as a fan favorite in the upcoming Avengers film helmed by Joss Whedon as Hawkeye. As if that wasn’t enough, two: he’s joining M:I4, which will be directed by Brad Bird, famous for his work on The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Simpsons. Three, the script comes from lord of all things geek, J.J. Abrams. From Deadline:
Renner will star alongside Tom Cruise in the fourth installment of a franchise that will begin production in the fall. It is the second major role for Renner coming out of his turn as the reckless explosives specialist in the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker. Renner also will star in Marvel Studios’ The Avengers, playing the role of Hawkeye. Renner will next be seen in the Ben Affleck-directed The Town, the GK Films-produced drama that Warner Bros opens September 17.
Paramount has struggled to find the right co-star to play an operative opposite Cruise, and one factor was to selecting an actor who could potentially carry the series down the line, should Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character not continue to be the emphasis.
So there you have it, Renner will be showing off his archery in The Avengers, fighting alongside the former Daredevil in The Town, and now costarring in one of the highest grossing action film franchises in the past decade. What will he do next? Let’s hope he doesn’t go the way of Vin Diesel and pull a Pacifier.