WIRE Buzz: Hailee Steinfeld denies Hawkeye; Kenobi, Stranger Things drop episode counts

As Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner undergoes a public legal battle with plenty of strange and disturbing allegations, another actor previously associated with the comic moniker has started distancing herself. Previously pegged to play Kate Bishop (who assumed the Hawkeye title when Clint Barton had abandoned it) in the upcoming Disney+ show about the hero, Hailee Steinfeld will soon lead Apple TV+’s Dickinson as poet Emily Dickinson...but has denied any and all knowledge about Hawkeye.

According to Variety, when Steinfeld was asked about the Hawkeye Disney+ show, she pleaded ignorance. “That, I don’t know about!” she said. “I don’t know,” she repeated. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Variety, on the other hand, claims sources that say the actress and her team “still have the offer and that no other actresses have been approached for the part.”

A non-compete clause from Apple could potentially be negotiated around, these sources say, so there may be other trouble brewing for (or a decree to maintain radio silence about) the series, which has long planned for Renner to reprise his Avengers role for a final hand-off to his successor. The limited series, from writer Jonathan Igla, plans to premiere in the fall of 2021—meaning that production may take place in 2020 alongside a potential season two of Dickinson.

Next, the fan-demanded Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars series coming to Disney+ has allowed its clamoring audience to know how much young Jedi content they should expect. 

Speaking to Men’s Journal, prequel star and internet meme machine Ewan McGregor confirmed that the show immediately following the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith will be initially told over six hour-long episodes. 

"The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV," the actor said. "The Jedi Order was falling apart. It will be interesting to take a character we know in a way and show him — Well, his arc will be quite interesting, I think, dealing with the fact that all the Jedi were slaughtered with the end of Episode III. It's quite something to get over."

There’s a lot that happens to turn prime-time Obi-Wan into hermetic old Ben Kenobi over the two-decade in-universe time skip between films, so six episodes will certainly leave a lot of room for more. Depending on fan reaction to the first six episodes — and everyone’s availability — it’s easy to see how a six-episode first season could turn into more during Kenobi’s long trip to Tatooine.

Production for the series isn’t scheduled to start until 2020.

Finally, Stranger Things boarded the episode stat train to drop its own count for the upcoming fourth season. Things aren’t getting too strange, however, as the number hasn’t changed since last season’s twisty summer vacation.

TVLine reports that the Netflix sci-fi nostalgia extravaganza will return fans to Hawkins, Indiana for another eight episodes. Well, it SHOULD be Hawkins, but the teaser announcing the show’s renewal clearly wanted to make a spooky Wizard of Oz reference by stating that “We’re not in Hawkins anymore.”

Stranger Things’ fourth season is planning to film from January to August 2020—possibly in time for a Halloween premiere.