Gary Oldman had been a known commodity in Hollywood since his take on Sid Vicious in the 1986 version of Sid and Nancy, but he was thrust into geek culture first in The Fifth Element, then multiple Harry Potter films, before settling in as Jim Gordon in the Christopher Nolan, Batman trilogy.
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Now, some five years since The Dark Knight Rises, and just a few months before Justice League debuts, ComicBook was able to speak with the actor on the red carpet at CinemaCon regarding his role as Winston Churchill, but also to get his take on J.K. Simmons taking up the mantle of Commissioner Gordon.
Oldman was nothing but gracious in passing the torch.
“J.K Simmons doesn’t need any advice from me,” Oldman said. “He’s a wonderful actor. I’m intrigued to see what he does with it. I’m looking forward to it.
“Gordon was very good to me so I wish him a lot of luck. I’m excited for him.”
Oldman played the role in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises — which is still the No. 1 ranked movie in the ComicBook Composite with an 89.13 rating.
Later this year, fans will get their first taste of Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The iconic Batman character has been played by a slew of actors in the past — though most remember Oldman as the most memorable — but Simmons promises to bring a new grit to the detective which fans have not seen before.
The character is set to make his debut in Justice League, the highly anticipated ensemble flick featuring the likes of Batman, Superman, and more. Simmons has already filmed his bit for the blockbuster, and fans are already awaiting news on where Commissioner Gordon will pop up next.
The actor recently spoke with ScreenCrush about his part in the DC Extended Universe, and Simmons said he isn’t sure where Gordon will go within the DCEU.
“My part in the first film coming out this fall is very, very small,” he said. “It’s a little introduction of the character. But whenever the next one gets off the ground, whether it’s The Batman movie or the Justice League sequel, and I know those things are getting shuffled around right now … we thought we might be getting to work pretty soon on The Batman, but we’ll see what the future brings.
“Hopefully, that’ll be another comic-book character that I get to take two or three or four cracks at.”
In 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 directed by Zack Snyder, from a screenplay by Chris Terrio, and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons and Jesse Eisenberg.
Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017, while The Batman is expected to land sometime in 2018.
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