Casting a character from another medium is always a tricky thing. Fans have specific ideas about who a character is and what they should look like. This can often lead to outrage and disappointment when a casting choice doesn't fit into a specific mold, even if unexpected choices can surprise you. Who's the best Spider-Man, Tobey Macguire, Andrew Garfield, or newcomer Tom Holland? Everyone has his or her own take. But one casting choice that fans seem united on is that J.K. Simmons is J. Jonah Jameson. J.K. Simmons hasn't inhabited the role since Sam Raimi's trilogy concluded, but with the character sitting out this year's Spider-Man: Homecoming, could the actor reprise the character in a future film? Here's what he had to say:
I never say never. I mean, you know, obviously I had an amazing time with Sam Raimi on those movies, and Tobey [Maguire] and everybody. That was a great, great time, and huge for my career and my life, and just pure fun. If there were an opportunity to revisit that...I don't know, though. How old is Spider-Man going to be if J. Jonah Jameson is this old?
J.K. Simmons' portrayal of the newspaper publisher is so beloved that it has even inspired fan petitions for him to reprise the role. His comments to ET at least leave the door open for a possible return to the character. I don't think J.K. Simmons has to worry about being too old for the character in relation to Tom Holland's Peter Parker either. J. Jonah Jameson is defined by his role, personality and interactions with Peter Parker; the age difference is irrelevant.
J.K Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson was so true to the character that Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films never even attempted to cast the cantankerous newsman. So far Spider-Man's MCU tenure has also not included the character. Should Tom Holland's Peter Parker find himself at The Daily Bugle, it would be a nice through line and homage to what came before to have J.K. Simmons reprise the role and berate the young photographer. Should he return to the role, J.K. Simmons will not be out of practice. The veteran actor mastered the art of yelling insults at young people in Whiplash, a role that earned him an Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor.
At the moment J.K. Simmons finds himself on the other side of the comic book aisle in the DC side of things as he takes on the role of Commissioner James Gordon in Warner Bros' Justice League. Commissioner Gordon's role in the film is a small one, but J.K. Simmons looks to have put a lot into it. His appearance in Justice League should set up the important DC character for a bigger part when Batman's standalone film is finally released.
