The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd: DC Studios Turns Jimmy Olsen Into a True-Crime Investigator
DC Studios is taking the DC Universe in a wildly unexpected direction with The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd, an upcoming HBO Max series that will transform Jimmy Olsen into the central figure of a bizarre true-crime investigation.
James Gunn has officially revealed the title, premise and principal cast for the series, confirming that it will be DC Studios’ first venture into the true-crime genre. The project will be developed by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the creative team behind the acclaimed mockumentary series American Vandal.
Jimmy Olsen Gets His Own True-Crime Investigation
Rather than following the conventional superhero formula, The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd will reportedly be structured as an eight-part “true” crime docuseries set within the DC Universe.
The story centers on Jimmy Olsen, played once again by Skyler Gisondo, as he investigates one of Metropolis’ most infamous criminal cases. The Daily Planet photographer and reporter reopens the case of Gorilla Grodd, a superintelligent ape accused and convicted of murdering his own father, the King of Gorilla City.
The central mystery is simple but bizarre: Was Gorilla Grodd actually guilty?
According to the reported synopsis, Jimmy’s investigation will examine whether Grodd was wrongly convicted, effectively turning a major DC supervillain into the subject of a serious-looking true-crime documentary.
That premise gives the series an unusual opportunity to explore the DCU from the perspective of investigative journalism rather than superheroes punching their way through another world-ending threat.
Skyler Gisondo Returns as Jimmy Olsen
Gisondo’s involvement is particularly interesting because audiences have already seen his interpretation of Jimmy Olsen in James Gunn’s Superman. The upcoming series will expand the character beyond his role at the Daily Planet and place him at the center of a potentially career-defining investigation.
Joining Gisondo is Jimmy Tatro, who will portray Gorilla Grodd. The cast also includes Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.
Additional cast members announced for the project include Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Dan Perrault and Arian Moayed, although their specific roles have not yet been revealed.
The American Vandal Connection Could Make This Very Different
One of the biggest reasons to keep an eye on The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd is its creative team.
Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault previously created American Vandal, the Netflix mockumentary that brilliantly parodied the conventions of true-crime documentaries while maintaining the visual language and dead-serious tone of the genre.
That makes them an especially fitting choice for a story about Jimmy Olsen investigating a murder allegedly committed by a super-intelligent talking gorilla.
Instead of treating the absurdity as the joke, the series appears poised to present the case with the seriousness of a conventional crime documentary. The contrast between the grounded investigative format and the completely ridiculous DC premise could become the show’s biggest strength.
James Gunn and Peter Safran Had the Idea Before Taking Over DC Studios
The project also has an interesting history within the development of the new DC Universe.
James Gunn revealed that The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd was one of the projects he and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran pitched to Warner Bros. Discovery before they officially came aboard DC Studios. Gunn also mentioned Lanterns as another project from that group.
That detail suggests the series isn’t simply a random experiment designed to fill out the DCU’s television slate. It was apparently part of the larger creative vision Gunn and Safran had for expanding the universe into genres beyond traditional superhero storytelling.
A DC Show That Isn’t Really About Superheroes
Perhaps the most exciting thing about The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd is how different it sounds from a typical comic-book adaptation.
There is no indication that Jimmy will spend the series fighting villains or saving Metropolis from destruction. Instead, the story appears to be built around interviews, evidence, investigation and the question of whether one of the DC Universe’s strangest characters was framed.
That approach could also allow DC Studios to explore the world through ordinary institutions such as the Daily Planet, courts, journalists and law enforcement. In doing so, the series could make the DCU feel considerably larger without needing another massive superhero crossover.
And with Grodd at the center of the story, the show has plenty of room for the kind of absurdity that has become increasingly associated with Gunn’s DC projects.
What We Know About The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd
– Title: The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd
– Studio: DC Studios
– Platform: HBO Max
– Format: Eight-part true-crime docuseries
– Jimmy Olsen: Skyler Gisondo
– Gorilla Grodd: Jimmy Tatro
– Steve Lombard: Beck Bennett
– Cat Grant: Mikaela Hoover
– Perry White: Wendell Pierce
– Additional Cast: Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Dan Perrault and Arian Moayed
– Creators: Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault
– Release Date: Not announced yet
Why This Could Be One of DC’s Most Interesting Experiments
On paper, The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd sounds completely ridiculous. But that may be precisely why it works.
The new DC Universe has the opportunity to tell stories that aren’t restricted to the familiar superhero formula, and turning Jimmy Olsen into the host of a dead-serious investigation into Gorilla Grodd is about as unconventional as it gets.
With the creators of American Vandal behind the project, Skyler Gisondo returning as Jimmy Olsen and Jimmy Tatro stepping into the role of Grodd, DC Studios could have something genuinely distinctive on its hands.
For now, HBO Max has not announced a release date. But if the series successfully balances the absurdity of its premise with the straight-faced storytelling of a true-crime documentary, The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd could become one of the DCU’s strangest—and potentially funniest—projects yet.
