'Batgirl' Might See The Return Of J.K. Simmons As Commissioner Gordon
J. K. Simmons might be heading back to the DC Extended Universe as Commissioner Gordon. Per new reports, the Oscar-winning actor is in negotiations to reprise his role in HBO Max's Batgirl.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Simmons is in talks with HBO Max to play Gordon once again. He first played the role of Batman's favorite police chief in 2017's Justice League and was in the Zack Snyder's Justice League cut as well.
We don't know much about the upcoming Batgirl feature, other than In the Heights' actor Leslie Grace will play Batgirl herself. We also know that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) are directing, with Birds of Prey and The Flash writer Christina Hodson penning the script. Kristin Burr is producing.
As for plot and other casting news, however, we remain in the dark. (I'm sure there's some pun I could make here about being in the dark or blind as a bat or whatever, but my second cup of coffee hasn't kicked in.)
J. K. Simmons, A Man Who Spans Comic Book Universes
Simmons is a phenomenal actor and has worked in numerous films, from Best Picture winner Whiplash (in which he also personally won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) to playing Chris Pratt's buff dad in this year's dumbest action movie, The Tomorrow War.
His work also spans the comic book genre — in addition to the DCEU, Simmons exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as gruff and grumpy newspaper editor, J. Jonah Jameson. Even two comic book universes aren't enough to contain Simmons, however — the actor also voices the superhero and worst father ever, Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man, in the Amazon animated series, Invincible.
But back to the DCEU. We again don't know how much Simmons' Gordon (assuming he's officially cast) will be in Batgirl. In the comics, however, Batgirl is Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon. Given this familial connection, it's a good bet that he'll be more than just a token presence in the HBO Max feature. Will Grace's Batgirl turn to her dear old dad for advice? Or maybe she'll have to save her father from some supervillain looking to get even with the Bat.
Everything is pure conjecture at this point, as the film is still in the early stages of production. No official news on when Batgirl will premiere on HBO Max, though THR says it's looking to come out on the streaming platform sometime in 2022.