Let us continue today's Marvel movie onslaught with the surprising revelation that, while there is a Daily Bugle, there will be no J. Jonah Jameson in Mark Webb's Spider-Man flick.
IGN reports that, regardless of rumors suggesting John Slattery or Sam Elliott as the antogonistic editor, there will be no J. Jonah in the movie, and if you follow the lines to their inevitable conclusion, no space werewolf either. That one was just for some of you.
A lot of people are going to ask, "But how can you do a Spider-Man movie without JJJ?" To that I'd say, they already did that. The DVD and Blu-Ray versions are readily available and you can watch them edited for television on a fairly regular basis. Further, no one is going to beat JK Simmons' take on the character. It simply won't be done.
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Bullshit! This movie is ruined for me! What’s next?! Organic web shooters?!
I’m kidding. I agree that you can’t beat JK Simmons’ portrayal, but it’s still kind of a bummer. JJJ may not be Spidey’s ultimate nemesis, but he adds a lot to the supporting cast of characters. He will be missed.
I think this is probably a good call. J.K. Simmons was so perfect in this role, anybody would fall short in comparison.
“no one is going to beat JK Simmons’ take on the character. It simply won’t be done.”
Good call on their part.
Good call.
I agree about Simmons being hard to replace, but JJJ seems too important to leave out. I dunno, I’m a little disapointed by this.
Loved JK Simmons in the role, so i’m glad they didn’t go a different way.
that’s what they said about nickelson’s portrayal of the joker, too.
(which is not, in any way, to disparage Simmons because he was flawless)
i think in a high school centric story JJJ has little place for the first go round, maybe finding a job at the bugle will be in the sequel 🙂
I just hope that at some point in the movie Peter Parker visits his therapist, Dr. Emil Skoda.
To certain degree I’ve felt like the promotional stuff for this movie has so far focused on telling people what isn’t in the movie. Which is a curious way to talk about a film.
Judie Dench made the crossover during the 007 reboot. Why can’t JK Simmons do the same?? The guy is doing Farmer’s Insurance commercials for God’s sake. He’s available. No one could ever beat his performance.
“[I]f you follow the lines to their inevitable conclusion, no space werewolf either. That one was just for some of you.”
@Josh: You’ve had some great sass in each of the movie articles you’ve posted today. I hope there are more movie updates soon just for some asides like that. I LOLed, as the kids say.
I don’t agree with either of your explanations, Josh. Both are based on lazy reasoning. Just because they’ve done that character in the previous films doesn’t mean they couldn’t attempt to re-imagine JJJ in this new film. In fact, your reasoning begs the question of why this film should be produced at all, since THEY’VE ALREADY MADE THREE SPIDER-MAN MOVIES! Two of which were actually good. Most of the characters in this new film have been seen in the previous three – Gwen, Captain Stacey, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, PETER! Why use any of them since they were well portrayed by the actors in the other film series?
On the performance of JK Simmons: he was great as JJJ. He mixed both the true essence of that character from the books with a more comic twist. But no matter how excellent his portrayal was, another actor could bring another interpretation on the character that would become equally beloved by fans. That’s what actors are capable of doing. If they didn’t, then we wouldn’t make all of these remakes of previously produced films and stories.
I suspect the reason why they’ve dropped some characters from this upcoming film is more about money and/or differentiating this film from the other series simply for the sake of being different. In reality, the character is important to the story and its a shame the filmmakers don’t see that. Too bad.
@cubman987 He’s not that necessary to the story, but I can’t say that for sure until I know what the story is. Let’s put it this way, if in this movie Peter ends up interning at the DB, I doubt he would ever get a chance to meet the EIC. There would be so many layers of people between them that’s he’d have better chance of meeting Kevin Bacon than the EIC. Low men on the totem pole usually never meet the upper echelon of management at any decent-sized company. The fact that Peter can’t interact with JJJ is more believable to me.
Also, I’ve never bought the whole JJJ considering Spidey a “menace” plot. Bendis tried to explain why in USM, but even his psychoanalysis of JJJ felt contrived and facile. The only one that ever made sense to me was Stand and Steve’s explanation: JJJ is mad that the public considers Spidey a hero over his son, which given the fact that astronauts were big-deal heroes in the ’60s for the risks they undertook, is quite understandable. I could see JJJ thinking Spidey was just a grandstander when his son had actually accomplished something. But that line of thinking made sense back then. 50 years out from that, I just don’t buy any reason for JJJ to consider Spidey a menace in the 21st century barring him doing something illegal. I guess that’s what you get with a fluid timeline/continuity in comics. Some things that should be updated/ignored just keep getting regurgitated even if they’re completely divorced from their original context.
The short of all that: No JJJ in the new Spidey is no biggie.
@Gary4362 It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I don’t care, Bob.
What I hope, more than anything, with this version of Spider-man, is that they skip the “origin story”, or that they tell it in the credit sequence, a la Spider-man 2. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, knows Spider-man’s origin by now. Please just jump into the story without rehashing the science trip, the wrestling match, Uncle Ben’s death, and confronting the burgler. I have seen it so many times I want to weep.
I honestly do not know why people want to be told the same story the same way over and over again.
@ctrosejr I would love to see them skip the origin story as well, but I suspect they wouldn’t cast Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben just to have him killed off before the credits.
Seriously, JK Simmons was Jameson to a T. There’s just no way they could top him. Still upset. I love the Spider-Man supporting cast in comics and was hoping for even more of that in the reboot.
Balderdash! Betty you’re fired! Ben bring me the number for the Sony!
But sir…
You’re a Moron! Betty, you’re rehired!
PAAAAAAARKER! Where’re the pictures!
Am I the only one hoping for a spin-off…?
J.K. Simmons was so perfect as J.J. I’m actually glad about this
Vern Schillinger (SchillinGER) was absolutely fantastic as JJJ, but OF COURSE someone else an play him and do it well and be fantastic in their own right.
J.K. Simmons being the best personification of JJJ, so we don’t JJJ in anymore Spider-Man movies. Just like Watchmen was the best comic book creation, so everybody should have stopped making comic books at that time.
So, JK isn’t going to pull a Judi Dench. But… who then will demand poetry of Spider-Man?
Also, if in the future they do bring in JJJ and Robbie, get Andre Braugher (sp?). He’d be a much better Robbie than Bill Nunn (he was too chunky for Robbie in the films).
I also think Simmons was the definitive JJJ. But think back to The Dark Knight. Nobody thought anyone, least of all Heath Ledger, could eclipse Jack Nicholson as Joker. The right person might do a fantastic job.
But like others, I agree – HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE JJJ IN THE MOVIE? What the… who the… I’m so flustered I can’t put it into words. What’s next, no Uncle Ben?
So the character that essentially shapes the public perception of Spider-Man, being a major crutch to the character’s history since Day 1, is not in the film? The man that gives Parker a job and a reason to be a better hero is also not in the film?
That seems pretty stupid if you ask me.
JK Simmons was so spot on as Jameson, that I now hear his voice in my head when I read the character in comic books. Anyone else?
While Simmons was awesome. I don’t see why another actor couldn’t play the role. It’s not like the movie or story revolves around the character. As for the character not being in the movie? Eh. Not that big a deal. I don’t get the vibe that this is a “Peter Parker working at the Daily Bugle” kind of movie. That wouldn’t leave enough time for all the teen angst they’re going for. 😉
I love how the only reason that JJJ was cut from the film is because “nobody” could beat Simmons’ performance.
Yeah.
Sure.
It will be the LAST thing I’m thinking about while I’m watching this movie a year & 1/2 from now.
JJJ is more of a nemesis than Green Goblin is, IMHO. No matter what good Spidey does, JJJ sits in his editor-in-chief’s office and constantly bashes him. He is a constant thorn in Spidey’s side who cant be beaten and webbed up (well, maybe webbed…).
J. Jonah Jameson is one of my favorite characters in all of comics, but if they had just excluded him and I had missed this announcement (and resultant mass hysteria), I’m not sure I would have even noticed his absence.
But this does remind me that I need to check out OZ!
I’m curious what the film is going to be a about, especially since we pretty much know it’s yet ANOTHER origin film. JJJ is pretty integral to Spider-Man’s origin so it’ll be weird not to see him in any capacity.
@TheNextChampion – Just guessing. But I think it’s going to be more high school/teen angst based as opposed to the everyday life of Peter Parker. From everything I’ve read so far, it seems they want to hit that rabid Twilight-esque crowd. Wouldn’t be suprised if he doesn’t have a job at all other than breaking girls’ hearts.
Kind of sucks. However, I’m more concerned that we will have to sit through half of the movie retelling Spider-Man’s origin again. Hopefully this reboot will be less of a slapstick style then the last films.
I’m just excited for a new spider-man movie. I highly doubt I’ll walk out if theatre thinking that movie was good or bad because there was no JJJ. I doubt anyone will think that.
@marshak75 EXCELENT Judi Dench point!
“Further, no one is going to beat JK Simmons’ take on the character”. ==> COMPLETELY AGREE