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J.K. Simmons On J. Jonah Jameson’s MCU Future, Originally Auditioning For the Role

May 31, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
J.K. Simmons J Jonah Jameson Spider-Man Far From Home

J.K. Simmons has discussed the future of J. Jonah Jameson in the MCU after he reprised the role for a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Simmons spoke with EW for an interview and talked about his return to the role he played in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, noting that he is signed on to do sequels but that the studio isn’t obligated to use him.

When asked if fans could expect to see him as Jonah again, Simmons said, “I don’t know if I would use the word expect … It’s great to have the opportunity, as these things evolve, to be one of the holdovers from the previous version.”

Simmons also recalled auditioning for the role in Raimi’s first Spider-Man film, which was an “old-school, classic camera test” as he put it. He said, “The producers and the people at Sony, they needed to be convinced, because obviously, there were a lot of much more high-profile actors that they had in mind that would help with the box office. It was very nerve-wracking.”

Simmons noted that the audition “included a scene where the Green Goblin breaks through the windows and picks me up by the throat, lifts me up in the air, and is strangling me. I’m holding the script pages, reading the scene on the audition, but then at the same time, trying to…” (here he makes a hilariously cartoonish strangling noise) “…pretending I’m being lifted by the neck and choked.”

The next MCU/Sony Spider-Man film was delayed due to the pandemic and will release on November 5th, 2021.