Hawkeye director says series is like Die Hard meets Knives Out

"This is what my pitch was to Marvel," he said. "I said, 'Imagine that a wounded John McClane stumbled into a room in the Knives Out house, and then realised the door had locked behind him.'

"That was my sort of tonal reference coming in. So that's what the show is," he added. "That's what I enjoyed coming in, that you start off from a low stakes place, it seems like it's a small problem. And this just keeps snowballing over those days leading up to Christmas.

"I'm a big fan of the Christmas film and Die Hard was a touchstone. So being able to lean into Christmas, it's just that it's an extra tool in your kit to add atmosphere and warmth to a story, because you have to be a really odd person to not enjoy Christmas in some way as a season."

The six-part series sees Jeremy Renner reprise his role as Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) as he works together with young archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to face old enemies in the lead-up to Christmas in New York City.

Thomas also revealed to RadioTimes.com that the show sets up a future for Kate Bishop in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying: "The exciting thing is thinking about where that character can go."

Read more about Hawkeye:

• Hawkeye review: More of a stocking-filler than a real Christmas gift
• How Marvel’s Hawkeye put together the Captain America musical
• When is Hawkeye set in the MCU?

Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney Plus. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.