‘Justice League’ Casts J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon
Just last week Oscar winner J.K. Simmons commented on fans hoping he’d return as J. Jonah Jameson in Marvel’s new Spider-Man reboot. Simmons diplomatically said, “I’ll never close the door on anything.” Well, this may slam, lock and barricade that door. The Whiplash actor has just been cast as Commissioner Gordon in Warner Bros.’ two-part Justice League movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Simmons follows a long line of actors who’ve played Commissioner Gordon over the years including Neil Hamilton (the Batman TV series), Pat Hingle (the Tim Burton movies) and Gary Oldman (the Christopher Nolan movies). He joins a Justice League cast that already includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams and Amber Heard as Mera.
While some actors struggle to find work after a big Oscar win, Simmons is working perhaps more than ever. He’s voicing a character in Zootopia, this weekend’s #1 movie, and has eight other movies set for release this year including La La Land (which reteams him with Whiplash director Damien Chazelle) and The Accountant with his Justice League co-star Ben Affleck.
There was a report last year that Mariah Carey would be playing Commissioner Gordon in the LEGO Batman movie, but it turns out the initial report was incorrect and Carey will instead be voicing the Mayor of Gotham. (How weird a world would we live in if Gary Oldman, J.K. Simmons and Mariah Carey all played the same character?)
Justice League begins filming next month with Part 1 scheduled for a November 17, 2017 release with Part 2 in theaters on June 14, 2019.