A spoiler-free discussion.
J.K. Simmons as Jim Gordon in Zack Snyder’s Justice League
There have been many notable portrayals of Jim Gordon over the span of numerous DC Comics films over the years, most notably that of Gary Oldman in the Nolan Trilogy of films and, of course, J.K. Simmons in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. What was ostensibly rumors at first eventually turned out to be the truth: J.K. Simmons is set to reprise his role as the beloved lieutenant, Jim Gordon, in the upcoming Batgirl film on HBO MAX.
However, as exciting as the prospect of seeing J.K. Simmons back in his character’s trench coat and fedora is, there does exist a lingering question about what his role has to do with the entirety of the DCEU as a whole.
As previously mentioned, this particular version of Jim Gordon was first introduced to audiences in 2017’s Justice League, a film that performed so poorly both critically and commercially, it was later replaced by the actual four-hour cut of the film, Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Hence, for many avid Snyder fans out there, the explosive news of J.K. Simmons playing Jim Gordon in the upcoming Batgirl film sparked even more rumors of a possible continuation or interconnected universe shared between the Batgirl film and the Snyder Cut. After all, this particular portrayal of Jim Gordon was created by the team behind Zack Snyder’s film, causing fans to assume that this could be the groundwork needed to finally restore the Snyderverse once and for all. That being said, as of the time of writing, however, there has been no insider information as to whether or not Leslie Grace’s Batgirl film will take place along the timeline of the Snyder Cut.
Despite being ardent fans of the Snyder Cut ourselves, we believe that J.K. Simmons’ reprisal as Jim Gordon is no more than a mere coincidence in terms of casting decisions. Logically speaking, this would not be the first time that an actor has reprised his character in a DC film despite the film being helmed by a different production team.
An example of this would be the character of Alfred in the early Batman films, portrayed by Michael Gough in four films, the first two being the Tim Burton films and the second two being the Joel Schumacher ones. The same can be said for the portrayal of Jim Gordon in the earlier Batman films, a role that was performed by actor Pat Hingle in all four Batman films of the late 80s and 90s.
It is highly likely that the studio merely found J.K. Simmons to be the perfect actor for the role as Barbara Gordon’s father and therefore decided to have him cast in the role once again. Whether or not this is the truth remains to be seen, as everything up until the Batgirl film is released will remain as speculation.
That being said, we are excited nonetheless for what DC has in store for us next.
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