Here’s a piece of news I don’t think many of us were expecting, but it looks like none other than J.K. Simmons is returning to the DCEU as Commissioner Gordon in HBO Max’s upcoming Batgirl movie. The film, which is to be directed by Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, just recently signed In the Heights star Leslie Grace for the title role. Of course, Simmons’s deal isn’t done yet, but for those of us trying to make heads or tails of what’s going on in the DCEU, the prospect is enticing.
Many of us assumed Grace would be playing a Batgirl related to Matt Reeves’s upcoming The Batman, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Indeed, it looks like this Batgirl will be set in the same timeline as the Zack Snyder films, the upcoming version of The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and more.
While fans may be a little confused, I think this is excellent news. Simmons never really got to show what he was capable of in the role, and given that Grace will be playing his daughter, Barbara Gordon, this will likely give him way more to do than he did in Justice League. My hope, of course, is that enough of these DCEU movies do well enough that the powers that be realize the Snyderverse does indeed have come commercial value left in it, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get that Knightmare movie or show Snyder was teasing us with at the conclusion of Justice League.
Are you excited to see Simmons back as Commissioner Gordon?