Nearly four years after Warner Bros. shelved its completed Batgirl film, actor J.K. Simmons has once again addressed the project’s cancellation, describing the decision as “bizarre.”
During a recent appearance on ">Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Simmons reflected on his experience playing Commissioner Jim Gordon in the unreleased DC movie and admitted he has still never seen the finished film. His comments revisit one of the most controversial decisions in recent superhero movie history, as Batgirl was canceled in 2022 despite completing principal photography.
Simmons says the cast expected Batgirl to be released
Speaking with Josh Horowitz, Simmons laughed when the topic of Batgirl came up, referring to it as “that big hit, Batgirl.” Although he maintained a diplomatic tone, he acknowledged that the situation surrounding the film remains unusual.
When asked whether he had ever watched the movie, Simmons replied simply, “No!” He went on to add,
“Apparently one test audience saw it, and it’s not like it was a bad score from the test audience.”
Simmons also praised directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, saying it had been “an exciting prospect” to explore Batgirl’s origin story. Reflecting on production, he added,
“We really had a good time making it, thought it was going to be a fun superhero movie.”
Ultimately, however, the actor accepted the outcome with a shrug, concluding, “Oh well.”
The film starred Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, with Simmons portraying her father, Commissioner Jim Gordon. Warner Bros. ultimately chose not to release the movie as part of a broader corporate restructuring following the merger that created Warner Bros. Discovery.
The actor also recalled his surprise Marvel return
Elsewhere in the interview, Simmons discussed reprising his iconic role as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Unlike Batgirl, that appearance came together extremely quickly.
According to Simmons, his agent received the call only days before filming, and the cameo was shot in a Los Angeles office during the movie’s late post-production process. Despite appearing in multiple Marvel films since then, Simmons joked that he still hasn’t met Tom Holland, saying,
“Delightful guy, I’m told!”
Although Batgirl remains locked away with no announced release plans, Simmons’ latest comments highlight the lingering curiosity surrounding a film that many cast and crew members believed audiences would eventually see.