One of the best parts of the original Spider-Man trilogy that featured Tobey Maguire as the title hero was JK Simmons portrayal as J. Jonah Jameson, better known as JJJ. JJJ is the publisher of the Daily Bugle, which is the newspaper that Peter Parker takes pictures of. So basically, he is Peter’s boss.
Simmons and JJJ have become synonymous with one another since he took on the iconic role. He nailed every aspect of the character to a tee. He was loud. He was funny. He had a hate for Spider-Man, but in a comical way. At the end of the day, he was a character that you did not cheer for, but could not hate him either. Simmons made him a lovable angry man.
Simmons’ portrayal was so iconic; the role was never cast in the rebooted Spider-Man films that featured Andrew Garfield. He was referenced once or twice in the second film but was never actually seen. And therefore, there was no actor needed to portray him.
Now as much as fans want to see Simmons back in the role when Tom Holland swings into theaters during ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ that appears highly unlikely. Simmons was cast as Commissioner Gordon for ‘Justice League’, meaning he has a role in the DC universe. Having a role in the MCU on top of that seems like a stretch.
That means there is currently an opening for the role as the head of the Daily Bugle. As of right now, no one has been in that role, and it is possible Marvel will follow suit and not try to replace Simmons. But if Marvel decides to feature the role in the upcoming film, there is a perfect candidate out there. And his name is Peter Dinklage.
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If anyone is going to put on a performance as iconic as Simmons did in the role, Dinklage is the man to do it. Dinklage has perfected roles that have characteristics that JJJ should have. First things first, we know JJJ does not get along with Peter, meaning he is not truly a good guy. Most of the roles Dinklage plays has some form of darkness to them. Whether he is the true villain or a good guy with some issues, Dinklage fits right in.
Secondly, JJJ needs to possess authority. Once again, put a check in the box for Dinklage. He may be small, but he sure knows how to command a room when he is in it. Look no further than his depiction of Tyrion Lannister in ‘Game of Thrones’.
I could go on and on about how Dinklage knows how to play a character who possesses the characteristics of JJJ. Now let me add in another nugget that will add to the JJJ/Peter dynamic. This will be the truest portrayal of Peter Parker we have seen, in that Tom Holland looks like he belongs in High School. So wouldn’t it add to the humor of the JJJ character to have him be shorter than a truly young Peter? I sure believe it would.
Dinklage is a brilliant actor, and the chemistry he would have with the young Holland would be tremendous. Given JJJ’s role, all of his scenes would likely include the two characters bouncing dialogue off of one another. Peter, the kid superhero, would be taking some serious crap from his boss. And as JJJ is giving him crap, he would have to stop his rant to ask Peter to reach something off the top shelf. The potential is endless by placing Dinklage in the role.
So when all is said and done, Dinklage coming to the MCU as the man in charge of the Daily Bugle would be the best possible choice in reviving the character. Dinklage has the acting chops to be the man to take over for Simmons and his iconic portrayal. Pair that with the potential dynamics between him and Holland, and this makes a ton of sense.
So who is with me? Let’s get Dinklage’s name associated with J. Jonah Jameson! ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ will hit theaters July 7th, 2017, and is currently filming. So the time is now to cast Dinklage as the loud-mouthed publisher!