It’s nearly been a year since Zack Snyder’s Justice League landed on HBO Max, which allowed DC fans to finally see the 2017 movie as originally envisioned. During its four-hour runtime, we got to see more of J.K. Simmons’ Commissioner Gordon and, although the Snyderverse looks to have concluded then and there for now, Simmons’ Gordon is returning for the upcoming Batgirl film, and we have a first look at his return.
J.K. Simmons will play father to Leslie Grace’s Barbara Gordon in the upcoming movie headed to HBO Max later this year. But in set photos shared by Batgirl Film News, there’s a twist to what we’d expect from the DCEU’s Jim Gordon. The actor is looking younger as Simmons has red hair and mustache in the photos. It looks to be a flashback sequence the production was filming, considering that next to Gordon is a young actress who could be playing a younger Barbara and an adult woman he is kissing in one photo (likely Barbara’s mother).
As of now, we only know a few details about what to expect from Batgirl, but these set photos show that the movie will delve into Jim Gordon’s past prior to Justice League and Barbara Gordon’s origins as a kid before becoming a hero. J.K. Simmons’ Gordon was portrayed as an older man than some of the other versions of the character, so his take should be somewhat refreshing for those who've grown up with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Fox's Gotham.
J.K. Simmons has previously shared that he’s playing Gordon in a ”new version of the universe.” Yet it’s unclear if that means it's an interation that's simply away from the Snyderverse or a new vision of the character altogether. Either way, we never really got to see Simmons do a lot with his Gordon, and Batgirl could give him the time to really flesh out the GCPD commissioner.
Leslie Grace, who many of us first met in In The Heights stars as Batgirl. The actress showed off her costume for the movie last month. Check it out:
The upcoming DC Comics movie is currently filming in Glasgow under the direction of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who previously helmed Bad Boys For Life. Along with the return of J.K. Simmons’ Gordon, Michael Keaton is apparently set to reprise his version of Batman. Brendan Fraser will play supervillain Firefly, while Ivory Aquino will play Barbara’s best friend, Alysia Yeoh.
There are a lot of exciting things going on in Batgirl, and J.K. Simmons is a great addition to the project. The actor is definitely a staple in superhero cinema, as he recently reprised his famous Marvel role as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: No Way Home. These days, you really never know what old favorite may pop up in the next superhero movie.
As you await Batgirl's release, check out CinemaBlend's schedule of 2022 movie releases.
