For live action Superhero adaptations, it’s considerably rare to find an actor that not only looks like the character they are portraying, but epitomizes their traits and mannerisms. Despite what you think about the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, J.K. Simmons is J. Jonah Jameson.
In Sam Raimi’s trilogy, Simmons stole the show as Jameson, the Editor in Chief at The Daily Bugle, always demanding pictures of Spider-Man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. Ever since Marvel got its hands back on the Spider-Man franchise, fans have been begging for J.K. Simmons to return as the eccentric J. Jonah Jameson. So much so that a petition for him to reprise the role was created earlier last year.
According to Cinemablend, Simmons is open to possibly returning as the mustached newspaper publisher.
“I never say never. I mean, you know, obviously I had an amazing time with Sam Raimi on those movies, and Tobey [Maguire] and everybody. That was a great, great time, and huge for my career and my life, and just pure fun. If there were an opportunity to revisit that…I don’t know, though. How old is Spider-Man going to be if J. Jonah Jameson is this old?”
Simmons has certainly kept busy since his original role in Spider-Man, featuring award-winning supporting roles, including in the video game Portal 2 as Cave Johnson and as Terence Fletcher the brilliant, but terrifying, teacher in Whiplash – earning him an Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor.
Interestingly enough, J.K. Simmons is currently starring in a high-end superhero role, but for Marvel’s rival DC, portraying the role of Commissioner James Gordon in Warner Bros’ Justice League. While his role is small, and he certainly looks the part, he will certainly have a larger role in the Batman standalone film is finally released.