Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has explained that Hailee Steinfeld is the ideal Kate Bishop for Disney+'s Hawkeye series and gave some details on how she was cast in the role.
In a press conference attended by CBR, Feige was asked about the casting process for Steinfeld. Feige replied, "Hailee did not audition. We were very, very lucky that Hailee was open to this because we very much believed that she was sort of the prototype for the character, and as occasionally happens, the dream version of the character agrees to do it. So I think there were some early meetings and discussions, but we were very thankful that she wanted to jump into this role because we had a feeling that she would be great, and she is."
Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Kate Bishop first appeared in 2005's Young Avengers #1 as a member of that titular team. A skilled archer, Bishop takes up the mantle of Hawkeye following Clint's death. Since her debut, she's had several solo series and served as a member of the West Coast Avengers. While rumors of Steinfeld's casting as Bishop persisted for months prior, Marvel Studios officially confirmed her role in Hawkeye in late 2020.
Announced at Comic-Con International in San Diego 2019, Hawkeye follows Clint Barton and Bishop as they team up to take on enemies he made during his time as Ronin. The Disney+ series will also feature a connection to the Black Widow film that released earlier this year, as that movie ended with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine setting Yelena Belova on a hunt for Barton. The series will also draw inspiration from Matt Fraction and David Aja's beloved run on Hawkeye, which began in 2012 and ran for twenty-two issues, and introduce such characters from that series as the Tracksuit Mafia and Lucky the Pizza Dog.
At this time, it's not clear when Steinfeld will next appear as Bishop after Hawkeye. However, the actor is set to appear in multiple projects. The MCU has also added a number of characters related to the Young Avengers in Phase Four, leading to theories that the team will make its debut sooner rather than later.
Created by Jonathan Igla, Hawkeye is slated to release Nov. 24 on Disney+. The TV series will lead into Echo, which stars Alaqua Cox as the titular hero.