J.K. Simmons is in talks to reprise the role of Commissioner James Gordon in the upcoming original HBO Max movie Batgirl. Simmons, who won an Oscar for his performance in Whiplash, previously played the famous police honcho and ally to The Batman in 2017’s Justice League. Almost two weeks ago, it was announced that relative newcomer, Leslie Grace, one of the young stars of In the Heights, will be portraying the titular superhero.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys 4 Life) are attached to direct from a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey [and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn]). Kristin Burr is producing.
One important thing that Simmons’ potential casting proves is that Batgirl is set in the same reality as Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam! and not the universe of Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman which stars Robert Pattinson in the lead role, with Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.
In the comics, Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, and a long-running crimefighter in the DCU. She is a computer whiz with an eidetic memory and an expert martial artist.
As for Simmons, he is a beloved character actor with a massive resumé including several comic book-based projects. He is perhaps best-known for playing J. Jonah Jameson in both the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and in the current Spider-Man: Home series, directed by Jon Watts, with Tom Holland in the lead. Simmons also voiced Jameson on the Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Avengers Assemble animated series. He voiced DC’s General Wade Eiling on Justice League Unlimited and Evil Star on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He currently provides the voice of Omni-Man/Nolan Grayson on Amazon Prime Video’s hit Invincible.
He gained notice as Dr. Emil Skoda on New York Undercover, before reprising that role on the Law & Order franchise, but his breakout role was as the white supremacist Vern Schillinger on HBO’s Oz. He also had memorable roles on TV shows like The Good Wife, Men at Work, Growing Up Fisher, and Goliath. On top of Whiplash, Simmons has appeared in films such as Juno, Terminator: Genisys, La La Land, and most recently The Tomorrow World, in which he wowed viewers with his muscular physique.
And, of course, besides J. Jonah Jameson, Simmons is probably best known for that “We are Farmers… Bum-ba-bum-ba-bum-bum-bum” commercials. (Have fun getting that out of your head!)
Check back for more Batgirl news as it emerges!
