This is delightful news.
Sony may have had their ups and downs with the Spider-Man films, but one of the things Raimi's films got right was casting, and by far the most popular choice out of all the casting choices on those three movies was JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, the blowhard king of the Daily Bugle.
Fans are so fond of Simmons in the role that they would probably be just fine with him playing the part again in any Spider-Man continuity, regardless of whether or not it makes sense. Or they would have, anyway, if it didn't seem that Warner and DC have just hired the Oscar-winning performer to play Commissioner Gordon in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
There's no law against Simmons playing both, of course, but I think this is probably a nice moment for fandom to let go of the JJJ thing and just be excited to see Simmons play a high-profile character like Gordon. Here's hoping they give him more to do than bark exposition, and certainly, Simmons signing on gives me hope that the character is going to have a real place in whatever happens. Chris Terrio's script is a pretty closely guarded secret at the studio so far, and it's only through casting that we'll start to get a glimpse at the scope of what they're doing and the characters who will be involved.
The big names are long since confirmed, of course. Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) will make up the League, and there's a chance we'll see some of the supporting cast from Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice as well, like Lois Lane (Amy Adams) or Alfred (Jeremy Irons).
Simmons has always been a bright spot in an ensemble he joins, and Whiplash shone a spotlight on him in a way that seemed to amplify his value to filmmakers. He's working nonstop right now, and this is a lovely place to see him show up. Here's hoping he'll stay onboard if Affleck moves on to making solo Batman movies down the road. It's got to be nice as an actor to know your next job keeps you busy in some way through 2019, and I'd be surprised if this news isn't greeted with huge enthusiasm by most of fandom.
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice opens in theaters everywhere March 25, 2016.
Justice League Part One will be in theaters November 17, 2017.
Justice League Part Two will be in theaters June 14, 2019.