For most of the history of superhero cinema, one actor embodied each hero and villain at a time, but those rules aren’t as set in stone these days. Thanks to the power of nostalgia, not only is Michael Keaton reprising his role in the upcoming Batgirl on HBO Max, he’ll star alongside J.K. Simmons reprising his turn as Commissioner Gordon from the Snyderverse. The details of how these characters meet have yet to be revealed, but the actors behind them are seemingly thrilled to find new facets to their performance.
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In a recent interview with A.Frame, Simmons expressed his bewilderment at returning to the role of Gordon after metaphorically handing the torch to Jeffrey Wright in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Still, he’s happy to have the chance to explore the character more than his brief role in Justice League.
“[It] really came as a complete surprise that they wanted me to be that guy again,” Simmons admitted. “What appealed to me about this movie was from Jim Gordon’s point of voice, it’s really more a story about him as a guy and as a father and not just about the guy who’s turning on the Bat Signal and trying to keep the citizens of Gotham safe.”
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Commissioner Gordon is essential to any Batgirl-centric narrative, and Simmons calls star Leslie Grace “charming, compelling and charismatic” in the role of Barbara Gordon. They will team up with Keaton’s Batman against Brendan Fraser as Firefly. The film will release on HBO Max later this year, which might mean it comes out before Keaton sees his proper reintroduction to the wide world of DC films in The Flash. DC’s multiverse-spanning cinematic lineup is hard to keep track of at the best of times, but it will likely make some amount of sense to viewers as they enjoy the adventures of each distinct caped crusader.
