J.K. Simmons hopes to bring us a much more “badass” Commissioner Gordon

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

By now many of us have seen those photos of J.K. Simmons looking positively ripped at the gym, and although Simmons later said that the new change in his physique didn't have anything to do with JUSTICE LEAGUE and more about taking care of himself, it's likely that it will translate into a more "bad-ass" attitude for Commissioner Gordon. J.K. Simmons will soon be returning to the London set of Zack Snyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE to complete work on the film, but he recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what he hopes to bring to the character.

People of my generation remember Commissioner Gordon as this jolly, ineffectual Santa Claus type, and I think over the years in the comics there’s definitely much more of a badass side to him. One of the things that’s interesting to me is investigating hopefully a little bit more of that badass [side]…You’re living in a universe where it’s pretty tough to be a badass compared to somebody like Batman, but in the universe of non-superheroes I like the idea of Commissioner Gordon as a guy that can take care of himself, a guy that’s a real partner to Batman, not just a guy that turns on the bat signal and goes, ‘Help! Help, Batman!’”

Simmons says that the work he's done on JUSTICE LEAGUE so far as been “a fun experience, and knock wood, if it continues, then I’ll hopefully get to play Commissioner Gordon in a handful of movies.” As a big fan of Simmons ever since his work on HBO's Oz, getting to see more of him in recent years has been a real treat. To find out more about JUSTICE LEAGUE, make sure to check out our trio of set-visit reports from our own Chris Bumbray!

An official synopsis for JUSTICE LEAGUE:

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash -— it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

JUSTICE LEAGUE is set for a November 17, 2017 release.