Snyder Cut: Justice League’s J.K. Simmons Explains Why All DC Fans Should Be Interested In The Alternate Version

jk simmons justice league commissioner gordon

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It was just a little over a month ago that DC fans found out that Zack Snyder was finally going to be able to release his version of Justice League, after a very dedicated group of those fans had been publicly calling for the Snyder Cut for over two years (basically since the original film was released in theaters). The director has been giving us some pretty good ideas for what we can expect to see when Zack Snyder's Justice League comes to HBO Max in 2021, but, if you liked the previous version of the movie, should you still see this one? J.K. Simmons, who had a brief role in the film as Commissioner Gordon, has an answer for you.

Obviously, millions of people either hated the Justice League we got in 2017 (many of these are the Snyder Cut devotees) or, at the very least, were beyond disappointed with the end result. As you can imagine, folks from either of these two camps will be looking forward to Zack Snyder's Justice League. But, if you are one of the relatively few people who unequivocally enjoyed watching Henry Cavill's putty face grimace after Superman's resurrection, should you even bother with this new version of the film? Here's what J.K. Simmons told The Hollywood Reporter, when asked about his thoughts on Snyder's cut being released:

Whatever your feelings were about the version that was at first released, I think even if you absolutely loved everything about that film, I would certainly be interested as an audience to see Zack's vision.

Well, that's simple enough, isn't it? And, I have to say, I think J.K. Simmons is right. Even if you're a DC fan who will ride hard for the 2017 theatrical cut of Justice League, how could you not be at least a tiny bit curious about what Zack Snyder wanted to do with the movie? This is especially considering the fact that Snyder has been talking about his plans for the film since it was released and we all saw that very few people were in the movie's corner.

J.K. Simmons was meant to have a much larger role in the cinematic universe that was building for Warner Bros. and DC after his short stint as Gordon in Justice League. But, that film was so beset with problems, most of which came from Snyder leaving the project a few months before it was due to be released and Joss Whedon taking over, that the end result left a lot to be desired for both critics and many fans.

Simmons had been about to really be able to put his stamp on Gordon, in a planned solo film for Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne / Batman, but with the response to Justice League as it was, those plans were scrapped. Affleck soon left the role and all of DC behind, and there's now a whole new Gordon for the upcoming The Batman.

While that film will follow a different Batman in a different kind of story and with a brand new Commissioner Gordon, fans are still wondering what could have been with regards to Ben Affleck's tortured, older superhero and J.K. Simmons' version of Gordon. So, if you're still on the fence about whether or not to check out Zack Snyder's Justice League, but also wanted more with that particular dynamic duo, know that watching Snyder's film could be your only real shot at getting to spend more time with those two, even if it isn't in their own adventure.

Of course, Snyder has also promised to show us a much longer film which would include tons of other cool stuff which was left on the cutting room floor the first time around. This includes stronger stories for Cyborg and The Flash, more of characters like Lex Luthor and Mera, our first look at Darkseid in action, Superman fighting in his black suit and a whole lot more. I don't know about you, but I'm in total agreement with J.K. Simmons, here; checking out Zack Snyder's Justice League seems like a no-brainer.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is coming to HBO Max at some point in 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. And, be sure to see what new movies are on the horizon for the rest of this year!

Adrienne Jones
Senior Content Creator

Covering The Witcher, Outlander, Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias and a slew of other streaming shows, Adrienne Jones is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend, and started in the fall of 2015. In addition to writing and editing stories on a variety of different topics, she also spends her work days trying to find new ways to write about the many romantic entanglements that fictional characters find themselves in on TV shows. She graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Photojournalism.