J.K. Simmons Is Still Signed On For More 'Spider-Man' Films As J. Jonah Jameson
J.K. Simmons is ready to demand more pictures of Spider-Man. He just needs to get a call from Marvel Studios or Sony. The Oscar-winning actor confirmed that he is signed on to reprise his role as Spider-Man's belligerent media foe J. Jonah Jameson (who Simmons played once again in a surprise cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home) in more films, but that any future appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are up to Sony.
Fans of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man were rewarded in a big way by the Spider-Man: Far From Home mid-credits scene, which brought back J.K. Simmons' popular take on the venomous newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson — but this time, as a conspiracy-slinging Alex Jones-type blogger. The scene gave exciting implications for the future of Spider-Man in the MCU, and the familiar foes he would go up against.
But Simmons couldn't tell you what those implications could be. "I don't know if I would use the word expect," the actor told Entertainment Weekly when asked if audiences can expect to see him in the next MCU Spider-Man film. Simmons confirmed that he signed on to do more Spider-Man sequels, but that the studio isn't obligated to use him in subsequent films. But Simmons isn't upset — rather, he was just happy to put on the suit and mustache again to play the fan-favorite character. "It's great to have the opportunity, as these things evolve, to be one of the holdovers from the previous version."
Soon after Spider-Man: Far From Home was released, Marvel and Sony went through a very public battle over the terms of the Spider-Man movie deal, which the studios had previously entered to allow Spider-Man into the MCU. While Tom Holland's Spider-Man is staying in the MCU for at least one more film, Sony is clearly building out its Spider-Man properties in its own cinematic universe.
But considering the game-changing consequences of J. Jonah Jameson's revelations in the Far From Home mid-credits sequence, it's very likely that Simmons could return as the blogging pundit that we saw in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sony seemed to be approaching the character as more than a glorified cameo from Simmons, even releasing a TheDailyBugle.net video as a Blu-ray exclusive. But there's also the possibility that Sony, in expanding its own Spider-Man Cinematic Universe, might bring back Simmons as the original Raimi version of his character, considering the Easter eggs we've seen in films like Morbius that suggest a multiverse might be introduced. We'll have to see once Spider-Man 3 resumes shooting again.