First Look At JK Simmons As Commissioner Gordon In Batgirl Revealed, See The Photos
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We are getting more and more looks at Batgirl, one of the next additions to the DC Extended Universe which is, most definitely, in growth mode right now. There are plenty of details to iron out around this production, but it’s starting to become clear around where it sits with the other movies in this franchise. One of those pieces is JK Simmons who will be returning in the role of Gotham City’s Police Commissioner, Jim Gordon.
JK Simmons is reprising the role he first took on in Justice League, picking up part of that timeline in Batgirl which is set to help expand the DC Extended Universe into something like a new phase for the comic book house. In these latest photos, we can see that he’s bringing over the same look from that movie with the tan trench coat and black hat that became part of this version before. And it’s likely, considering the nature of this new story, that Simmons has a big role in this one. Check out the first photos of him on the set of Batgirl.
There are a couple of reasons to suspect that JK Simmons has a major role in Batgirl. For starters, he’s the head of the police force in Gotham City, a role that really matters when dealing with a vigilante in the city limits. But more importantly, in this one, he’s also the father of the main character. In the movie, Leslie Grace plays the titular character whose alias is Barbara Gordon. As part of the story, Barbara Gordon takes up the mantle when she is denied work on the actual police force. It stands to reason that a major part of the action is Simmons as Gordon eventually realizing that Batgirl is more than just a crime-stopper in the city. She is also his flesh and blood. It’s sure to be a critical piece of the overall story.
With JK Simmons on as Commissioner Gordon, it would seem to help solve some of the questions about where Batgirl sits in the framework of the DC Extended Universe. Because he also played the role in Justice League, it would appear that this latest movie is part of the same timeline. That’s not always a surefire thing though and there is reason to suspect the franchise has made a shift along the way. Because Micheal Keaton is part of the cast also as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, not Ben Affleck. This would suggest there is some crossover with other universes with DC, something that will also be explored in the upcoming The Flash movie.
Along with Leslie Grace and JK Simmons in Batgirl, we are also set to get Brendan Fraser into a villain role for the film. He’ll be playing Firefly, a pyromaniac that is terrorizing Gotham City. This storyline is set to be at the heart of the story, though again, this flick will also just have a major focus on the origin story around Batgirl and how she came into the cape and cowl.
JK Simmons isn’t the only guy playing James Gordon on the big screen these days. Jeffrey Wright is also taking on the role in The Batman with Robert Pattinson which is hitting theaters in about a month. That story is looking like a bleak affair, likely much more grim and dour than what we will see in Batgirl. The latter is set to hit screens later this year.
