Almost every Batman movie has had a Commissioner Gordon, and over the years Gotham's top cop has gotten more and more capable on cinema screens. Indeed, Gary Oldman's gritty portrayal of the character in The Dark Knight trilogy was a far cry from the Gordon of the 90's movies, and it sounds like J.K. Simmons' take on the Commissioner will be just as distinct:
"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,” Simmons explained to Entertainment Weekly. "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' casting - and this insane workout pic - was a pretty big indicator that the DCEU version of Gordon will be a little more intense than we're used to, and it's great to hear the actor more or less confirm that here. As illustrated by films like Whiplash, Simmons is no stranger to playing tough guys, and I'm excited to see how his Gordon develops over multiple movies. In the meantime, if you want a hint at what a more hardened Gordon might look like you could do worse than the animated version of Batman: Year One, which features an excellent vocal performance from Bryan Cranston.
Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, J.K. Simmons, Amber Heard, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher, Justice League: Part 1 is currently scheduled for a November 17, 2017 release.
Images: Warner Bros
