The man, the myth, the legend, J.K. Simmons, is in talks to return as Commissioner Jim Gordon for the upcoming Batgirl film on HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He first took on the role in 2017’s Justice League and then returned to do some extra shots for Zack Snyder’s cut which was released earlier this summer.
And now it seems he’s not quite done playing the role of the man who wants nothing more than to share Batman’s passion for ridding Gotham City of crime. Easier said than done, but that’s a story for another day.
If J.K. Simmons does indeed reprise this role, then it will be interesting to see how the continuity holds up across the DC Extended Universe. This especially stands true for the fact that Commissioner Gordon is the father of Batgirl, a.k.a. Barbara Gordon, who will be portrayed by In The Heights star Leslie Grace. His return would also mean that Batgirl is within the same universe as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Aquaman, and Justice League.
Is DC finally getting the hang of this “within the same universe” thing? I don’t want to speak too soon, but it is starting to look that way. They may be an entire decade behind Marvel, but better late than never, right?
What would J.K. Simmons joining Batgirl mean for the DCEU?
Like I said above, this move to bring Simmons into the Batgirl film could be one of DC’s efforts to connect their universe which has ultimately been operating on the “standalone” basis for quite some time.
But if Simmons is truly in talks to return, then the DCEU is heading in a direction that fans have been dying for them to go in for years now. There has never been a solid connection or reference between the movies apart from the occasional mention here or there. And it’s a shame because the world of DC Comics is so vast and incredible that they could genuinely make some epic movies if they just could get their stuff together.
Simmons’ potential return coinciding with
The Flash
movie’s attempts to ignite the multiverse could bode very well for DC in the long run. I mean,
Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton
are reprising their Batman/Bruce Wayne roles for
The Flash
film. That is the stuff of magic, and what we need from DC consistently.
The verdict is still out on that, however, with yet another Batman film coming out next year with
playing the lead role(s) and
Westworld’
s Jeffrey Wright playing Commissioner Gordon. It could just be yet another standalone movie, so we’ll let them do their thing and cross our fingers for J.K. Simmons to return as the Commissioner we all know and love.
There is no release date as of yet for Batgirl, but it is slated to premiere on HBO Max sometime in 2022. Check back here for more updates!
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h/t SYFY Wire