While Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice may not have attracted the universal acclaim you might expect from a movie featuring two of the most recognizable and well-loved fictional characters of all time, one of the more positively received elements was Ben Affleck's take on Batman. When the casting was first announced, many fans feared that the choice would prove to be a Daredevil-esque blunder, but the actor gave an effecitve portrayal of Bruce Wayne as a jaded, middle-aged superhero beleaguered with past traumas.

Affleck is set to return to the role in both the forthcoming Justice League movie and the solo Batman flick, tentativlely titled The Batman, which the actor is also confirmed to be directing. One man who will be joining Mr. Affleck in both movies is J.K. Simmons, in the role of Commissioner Gordon.

Both Simmons and Affleck are currently working the promotional circuit for their current movie The Accountant and the future Jim Gordon had some positive words to say about working with Ben Affleck again. Speaking to Yahoo! Movies, Simmons said:

“I’m really excited to be working with Ben and, in the future, to be working with Ben on both sides of the camera. He is such a, you know, not just a great actor, but a moviemaker. And he knows, certainly much more than I do, I mean, we’ve had this conversation. He loves writing and producing and directing and being that, and loves going back forth between that and acting... I myself am so lazy that all I want to do is be the guy who does the work and then goes and sits in his trailer and waits ’til they call him to go do some more work."

Jameson sitting behind his desk with a cigar in Spider-Man

Although Ben Affleck's acting has a tendency to divide opinion, it's impossible to question the man's work ethic as he seamlessly transitions from leading man to director. Affleck's work behind the camera has certainly attracted more universal praise, especially his 2012 feature Argo, and the man himself responded to J.K.'s kind words by claiming the duo had a "great relationship" and that his casting at the Commissioner was "a great idea." 

Indeed, with his Oscar-winning chops and comic book pedigree as the hilarious J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spiderman trilogy, Simmons' casting as Gotham's bastion of morality, Commissioner Gordon, is certainly a reason for fans to feel optimistic about The Batman.

Of course, despite Simmons' class as an actor and the respect many fans have for him, taking a role in Warner Bros.' DCEU movies has become somewhat riskier of late, thanks to the underwhelming critical response to movies like Dawn Of Justice and Suicide Squad. Even when characters have been executed well (Affleck's Batman and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn being two obvious examples), they have often been undermined by poor storytelling and pacing. Hopefully The Batman won't let J.K. Simmons down in the same way.

Source: Yahoo! Movies

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