Critically injured after a seven-ton snowplow crushed him on his Nevada property in January, much-loved Avengers actor Jeremy Renner is on the road to recovery as his first interview and a new documentary series is set to premiere.
Rennervations (Disney+), an original four-part series that showcases his passion project of reconstructing purpose-built vehicles for communities around the world, comes as the second series of crime drama Mayor of Kingstown continues its run on Paramount+.
He’s ready to watch his shows, and ready to talk about his near-fatal accident in an exclusive interview with American ABC News broadcaster Diane Sawyer on Disney+ on April 7.
‘I chose to survive’
Renner, 52, who has portrayed comic-book character Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011, was run over by the snowplow on New Year’s Day while trying to stop it from hitting his nephew, Alexander Fries.
He broke more than 30 bones in the incident and has since documented his extensive physical therapy in short video bursts that chronicle his recovery to the point where he is now able to walk.
In an emotional sit-down interview with Sawyer, he admits he was awake the whole time, and that he’d do it all over again because he saved his nephew’s life.
Mr Fries recounts that he didn’t think his uncle was alive when he ran towards him, as the trailer plays part of an emergency 911 call.
“Someone’s been run over by a snowcat,” says a man’s voice over the phone. “He is in rough shape.” The anonymous man instructs Renner to “keep breathing, man, keep fighting. Hang in there, brother.”
In the trailer, Sawyer lists Renner’s injuries, which included more than 30 broken bones, including in his face and eye socket, knee, tibia, clavicle, shoulder, ankles, jaw, and mandible. He suffered a collapsed lung, eight ribs broken in 14 places and blunt chest trauma.
“What’s my body look like?” Renner recalls wondering. “Am I just gonna be, like, a spine and a brain, like a science experiment?”
“I’ve lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I’ve been refuelled and refilled with love and titanium,” Renner says.
Murder Mystery 2: Netflix, March 31
This action comedy thriller sequel has private detectives Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) in Paris at the centre of an international abduction when their friend the Maharaja is kidnapped at his own wedding.
It has received mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but Sandler and Aniston got swamped with praise on recent red carpets to promote the film.
Director Jeremy Garelick described some of Sandler’s work as “Tom Cruise kind of stuff” to Variety while Aniston had so much fun working with Sandler that she’d be up for a third instalment.
BEEF: Netflix, April 6
Sound familiar? A road rage incident between two strangers – a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur – sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.
From the team at A24, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun lead the pack in this darkly comedic series.
Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker: Apple TV+, April 7
Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron) and Oscar-winning producer John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man, The Rescue), had access to Becker for three years to pull together this two-part documentary traces one of the tennis world’s biggest stars.
He first became a tennis sensation after winning The Wimbledon Championships at 17, and went on to win 49 career titles including six Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal.
He has also led a high-profile and controversial personal life.
In April last year, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for hiding assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.
Tweet from @StanAustralia
The Portable Door: Stan, April 7
Starring two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, No Time to Die) and multi-Golden Globe nominee Sam Neill (Peter Rabbit, Jurassic Park franchise), the film just had its Australian premiere and is a good one to clock in over Easter.
It’s a magical fantasy adventure adapted from Tom Holt’s eponymous seven-book fantasy series and follows Patrick Gibson (The OA) as Paul Carpenter, a put-upon lowly intern who begins working at the mysterious London firm J.W. Wells & Co., only to find that his employers are anything but conventional.
The film also features an all-star Australian cast including Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians), and Sophie Wilde (a Stan Original Series Eden).
Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies: Paramount+, April 7
For old and new Grease fans, this is a musical set four years before the iconic film starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.
The storyline goes that in 1954, “before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up outcasts dare to
have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will
change Rydell High forever”
Great Australian Stuff: ABC and iview, April 11
From the boomerang, Hills hoist and Victa lawnmower, to one-day Cricket, Sherrin footballs and the humble meat pie, Tony Armstrong unpacks the surprising, strange, and sometimes dark histories behind some of the most iconic Australian things.
Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe: ABC and iview, April 12
Starring Aunty Donna’s Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane, the unpredictable series follows the story of three best mates running a trendy cafe down one of Melbourne’s less-than-iconic laneways.
Tweet from @JeremyRenner
Rennervations: Disney+, April 12
With his best friend and business partner, Rory Millikin, and an all-star build crew, Renner travels the globe to re-imagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them to serve a new purpose.
It includes turning a tour bus into a mobile music studio, a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility, a shuttle bus into a mobile recreation centre, and a city bus into a mobile dance studio.
Along the way, Renner teams up with actor and producer Anthony Mackie (Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), actress and entrepreneur Vanessa Hudgens (Tick, Tick… Boom!), actor and producer Anil Kapoor (Mission Impossible, Slumdog Millionaire) and singer and songwriter Sebastián Yatra (Encanto), who all share Renner’s enthusiasm and join him to deliver the finished vehicles to each organisation.
American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing: Netflix, April 12
A decade after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this three-part series delves into the massive manhunt that followed the tragedy, as remembered both by the law enforcement officials who brought the bombers to justice and the survivors.
Fine, thanks: Netflix, April 12
Australian comedian and, of late, actress in her original series Wellmania, Celeste Barber takes the stage in Sydney to get personal in public about marriage, mental health, celebrity-branded sex toys and more.
The Diplomat: Foxtel, April 14
When a young British man loses his life in a drunken jet-ski accident in Barcelona, it seems to be a straightforward case. However, nothing is quite what it seems in this new high-stakes drama from the makers of Line of Duty, starring Sophie Rundle as a British Consulate staffer assisting the grieving father.
Totally Completely Fine: Stan, April 20
This six-part series is led by Thomasin McKenzie (JoJo Rabbit, Last Night in Soho), whose life is in free fall. She can’t pay her bills, she’s living in a decrepit share house, and she likes alcohol more than she likes herself.
And then she suddenly inherits her grandfather’s house on the edge of a cliff face.
Soon, Vivian realises that the waterfront shack she’s inherited isn’t just a home – it’s a known suicide site, and her grandfather used to try and save every lost soul that passed through.
With a great Australian cast, filmed and funded locally, what more could you ask for?
Great script – it definitely has that!
Appetite: SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand, April 22
The gig economy, and the food-delivery industry in particular, are set for scrutiny in this Australian short-form series, which will debut next month at the TV festival, Canneseries.
It’s about three penniless food delivery riders who are brought together after their housemate mysteriously vanishes on the same night as a rider has a fatal roadside accident.
They set out to discover the truth behind the accident and expose multinational food behemoth, Appetite.
Matildas: The World at Our Feet Disney+ Original Series
Premiere, April 26
The inspirational and intimate behind-the-scenes story of the Matildas – Australia’s women’s national football team. The Matildas (Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler and more) reveal the sacrifices they’ve made and struggles they’ve endured to become number one in the world’s most popular sport.
Sweet Tooth (S2): Netflix, April 27
Based on Jeff Lemire’s DC comic book series, Netflix says series two follows “Gus and his fellow hybrids who are held captive by the Last Men in order to find a cure for the Sick”.
“To save his friends, Gus must find new strength as he uncovers the origins of The Great Crumble.”
Peter Pan & Wendy: Disney+ Original Movie Premiere, April 28
This iteration will follow the same storyline we’ve come to love (think Robin Williams in 1991’s Hook), but it’s still a treasure to watch Peter Pan, Wendy, her brothers and a tiny Tinkerbell travel to Neverland.
