Leading up to the theatrical release in November 2017 of the DC Extended Universe tentpole feature that is Justice League, many fans of the comic book franchise have been wondering how various supporting players and antagonists will be portrayed in returning series director Zack Snyder’s hands. Following the debut of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier this year - and with Wonder Woman on the way come June 2017 - the roster of key players in the ever expanding DCEU is at the center of significant attention from longtime DC Comics readers.

Of all the supporting players primed to make their first entry into the DCEU, Batman supporting player Commissioner Gordon - as portrayed by Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) - has been of the center of significant attention. After revealing a startling work-out photo of himself at the gym - which was subsequently revealed to be unrelated to the role in question - Simmons was featured in a photo from the set of Justice League in costume as Commissioner Gordon. On that note, the latest word has Simmons discussing his part in the new film at greater length.

In a recent conversation with Collider, Simmons discussed his first day of shooting on the set of Justice League, wherein Commissioner Gordon is met face-to-face with most of the eponymous team of superheroes, including Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Speaking to how that scene played out from his perspective, Simmons stated:

“Yeah well there’s not a lot of ‘small’ on those kinds of sets. When you’re working with Zack Snyder ‘small’ is not the word that comes to mind, or any of those DC Universe kinds of projects. I mean there are two schools of thought about that for actors. It is kind of nice, in a way - especially when you’re playing a supporting part - to start out just kind of doing a little ‘Oh and then you’re gonna walk down this hall, say hi to this guy, and that’s your day’s work.’ Kinda get your feet wet. Or whether it’s better to just dive into the deep end and get some of the heavy stuff out of the way. It was fun, I mean that whole universe is something I’m really excited to be a part of for a while down the road hopefully.”

As for what viewers and DC fans can expect from the overall feel and look of Commissioner Gordon in Justice League, Simmons was quick to state that both he and Snyder were determined to adapt the character in a manner that bears a striking similarity to the way in which Gordon is portrayed in the comics. On that point, Simmons further elaborated on the general consensus for the look of the character between various members of the crew, and commented:

Simmons’ work on the original Spider-Man trilogy from director Sam Raimi should serve him well as he goes down the road as a central performer in the DCEU. As for how well audiences will receive his performance and latest cinematic reinvention of Commissioner Gordon on the big screen, only time will tell.

“And that’s what I wanted very much to do. As we sort of went back and forth with Zack and I and the wardrobe and hair and makeup and all those people, saying how we wanted the look to be, I think we all ended up being very much on the same page.”

Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters. Wonder Woman opens in theaters on June 2, 2017, followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash, The Batman, Dark Universe and Man of Steel 2 are currently without a release dates.

Source: Collider