Jeremy Renner will always be closely associated with his role as Hawkeye in the MCU, but despite his involvement in other major action franchises like Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible, there’s one film in his career he might prefer to forget. Renner stars alongside Bond girl Gemma Arterton in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, a 2013 fairytale horror that follows the duo as modern-day witch hunters uncover secrets about their past. While the film earned dismal reviews with just a 14% score from critics and 53% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, it still grossed $226 million at the box office. Now, it has found a second life on Prime Video, where it’s currently ranking as the 5 most popular film globally.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, based on the beloved fairytale by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Wirkola made his directorial debut in 2007 with Kill Buljo: The Movie, a parody of the Kill Bill franchise, which he co-starred in alongside Stig Frode Henriksen and Natasha Angel Dahle. Two years later, he directed Dead Snow, an unrated zombie horror film featuring Jenny Skavlan and Charlotte Frogner. The film was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, which Wirkola also wrote and directed. In 2022, he directed Violent Night, an R-rated Christmas action film starring David Harbour as Santa Claus, with John Leguizamo in a supporting role. Recently, Wirkola has been tapped to direct Violent Night 2, which will see Harbour reprise his role as Santa, although details about the project remain limited.
What Other Projects Has Jeremy Renner Been Working On Recently?
Jeremy Renner’s most recent project is Mayor of Kingstown, the Paramount+ original series from Taylor Sheridan, which has been renewed for a fourth season. A few years ago, he also starred in the Marvel Disney+ series Hawkeye, which introduced Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. Renner appeared alongside Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, and Jon Hamm in the 2018 action-comedy Tag, which is currently unavailable on streaming but can be rented or purchased on Prime Video.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, was written and directed by Tommy Wirkola. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and catch Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters on Prime Video globally and on Paramount+ in the U.S.
What Made Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters So Popular?
One factor that contributed to the popularity of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was its unique, adult twist on the classic fairy tale genre. Grimm Brothers’ stories are rarely associated with action-packed adventures, which likely intrigued audiences and drew them to theaters. Jeremy Renner was also a major draw at the time, riding high on the success of The Avengers (2012), which helped boost the film’s visibility. Additionally, there’s always a demand for action-adventure movies, so even if some viewers weren’t sure what to expect, they likely enjoyed the ride.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, a Norwegian filmmaker known for his creative and offbeat concepts. In addition to the film, Wirkola directed Dead Snow, a horror-comedy about Nazi zombies terrorizing a ski vacation, and Netflix’s What Happened to Monday, a dystopian thriller starring Noomi Rapace and Glenn Close. The cast of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters also included Peter Stormare (1923) and Famke Janssen (Boy Kills World).