Could J. Jonah Jameson Appear In The Amazing Spider-Man 3 or 4?

Marc Webb’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise has brought us a new look at many of our favorite characters from Peter Parker’s universe as well as some welcome surprises. But one famous face who we’ve not yet seen in Webb’s reboot is Daily Bugle publisher J Jonah Jameson, a character which fans should fondly remember from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies. Now director Marc Webb has expressed interest in exploring the character, although it doesn't come without its difficulties.

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Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

During a Google+ hangout, Webb was asked if J Jonah Jameson might turn up in either The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which he will also be directing or The Amazing Spider-Man 4. Though careful not to use any certainties, the director seemed interested, saying, “I like the idea very much of him coming up in the next film.” For some Spider-Man fans the very notion that Jameson could appear has left them salivating, but it seems if we are to see him, getting the character right might not be an easy process.

Webb went on to say that “It was more easy to accept a new Spider-Man than someone who could outdo J.K. Simmons in that role, he is so iconic. That’s something we’ve really talked about.” Indeed in Sami Raimi’s series of Spider-Man movies which began in 2002,  J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of Jameson made him a standout supporting character. Playing the character for laughs, no one could have quite brought the fast talking, cigar smoking Daily Bugle editor to life quite like Simmons. The pace of his delivery as well as his stellar facial expressions gave fans the kind of big screen realisation of a comic book character they could have only dreamed of. In fact Simmons has become so synonymous with the role that he went on to voice the character for the animated series ‘Ultimate Spider-Man ‘ as well as ‘Avengers Assemble’ on Disney XD.

J.K. Simmons play J Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies

Of course the importance of the character isn't lost on Webb, the director also stated that obviously he loves the character “because he poses such an interesting dilemma for Spider-Man.” In the comics, Jameson is a vocal opponent of Spider-Man wishing to smear the hero at any opportunity. But he’s also the employer of Peter Parker, who happens to be the only one that can get the photos of Spider-Man needed to shift copies of The Daily Bugle. Whilst the character hasn't been seen yet in Webb’s Spider-Man, is he definitely a part of Peter Parker’s world as Sony has set up a Daily Bugle website and posted a defamatory article on Spider-Man from the desk of J Jonah Jameson as part of its viral marketing campaign.

One way the dilemma of finding a new J Jonah Jameson for Webb’s Spider-Man could be solved is simply by just bringing back J.K. Simmons to reprise his old role but in a new way. This is something the actor himself hasn't ruled out, he said last year that he was “open to anything” and the character was “enormous fun” to play. However it is worth noting he also said that he hadn't seen the new rebooted Spider-Man and also added that “for those of us who were doing the first franchise, that rug got pulled out from under us like two-and-a-half years ago,” in regards to the recent reimagining.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the Amazing Spider-Man 2

So will the Amazing Spider-Man franchise one day get J Jonah Jameson, “The answer is I don’t know, but I think you can expect to see him in the future,” was Webb’s final words on the issue. That’s not much of a confirmation either way, but it’s hard to see how such an important comic book character could be left out of the story. Although Marc Webb’s Spider-Man films are very much a clean slate for the characters it would be great to see Jameson pop up again, even if he is a little different. As for J.K. Simmons, whilst he did a great job with Sam Raimi, letting someone else have a go might not be too bad an idea. Only time will tell, but something makes us feel as if this character might just be too good to ignore.

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