DC Studios Announces THE PEOPLE V. GORILLA GRODD, a Metropolis Murder Mockumentary With Jimmy Olsen
Gorilla Grodd is going to court, and Jimmy Olsen is digging into the case.
DC Studios is expanding its DCU in a wonderfully weird direction with The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a new mockumentary comedy that takes the superintelligent Flash villain and drops him into a true-crime murder investigation.
HBO Max has handed the half-hour Max Original an eight-episode, straight-to-series order, and the premise sounds like it could be one of the strangest and funniest corners of the DCU yet.
Previously developed under the title DC Crime, the series stars Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, who turns investigative documentarian to examine one of Metropolis' most notorious murder cases. Jimmy Tatro will play Gorilla Grodd, who has been convicted of murdering his own father, the King of Gorilla City.
The story unfolds as an eight-part "true" crime documentary created within the DCU. Jimmy reopens Grodd's case and starts investigating whether the superintelligent ape was actually responsible for the murder that put him behind bars.
They also released an in-universe press release that offers additional details about what Grodd allegedly did. He isn't simply accused of killing his father. He's also accused of consuming his father's brain. That's one hell of a case for Jimmy Olsen to tackle.
Several familiar faces from Superman will join Gisondo in the series. Beck Bennett returns as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover is back as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce once again plays Daily Planet editor Perry White.
The rest of the cast includes Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds, and Tim Baltz, although DC Studios hasn't revealed their characters yet.
Tony Yacenda and Perrault will serve as showrunners, writers, and executive producers, with Yacenda directing all eight episodes. James Gunn and Peter Safran are also executive producing the series for DC Studios.
Gunn and Safran explained that the Daily Planet crew's dynamic in Superman helped convince them that these characters deserved another story:
"Between Skyler’s wonderful performance and the fantastic chemistry of the Daily Planet cast, we knew coming out of 'Superman' that this would be a fun world to explore."
They added: "We're excited to work with the brilliant Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda to take the audience down some of the darker and funnier streets and alleyways of the DCU as Jimmy spotlights the Metropolis criminal justice system for his docuseries,"
Yacenda and Perrault are approaching the project from an especially cool angle. Rather than making a traditional DC comedy that happens to use a documentary format, they want The People v. Gorilla Grodd to feel like something that was actually produced and released inside the DCU.
They explained: "We’re excited by the challenge of creating a series that feels less like an entry into the DCU and more like an artefact from it. A Daily Planet original documentary made for the people of Metropolis."
They continued: "We hope it’ll appeal to fans of the comics, comedy and true crime, And while we can’t speak for audiences here yet, we already know it’s a huge hit in Metropolis. They love this series."
That's a great way to expand this universe. Instead of every DCU project needing to revolve around another giant superhero conflict, The People v. Gorilla Grodd gets to explore what entertainment and journalism might look like for ordinary people living in a world filled with superheroes, alien invasions, talking apes, and bizarre crimes.
Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & HBO Max Comedy Series, also shared her enthusiasm for the project:
"We are thrilled to be working with Tony and Dan, alongside James, Peter, the entire DC team and our colleagues at WBTV, to bring these iconic DCU characters to HBO Max in a new and unexpected way."
Gravitt also offered a tease of what Tatro is bringing to one of DC's most famous villains: "We already know Skyler Gisondo is pitch-perfect as Jimmy Olsen, and we can’t wait for fans to experience Jimmy Tatro’s captivating and hilarious portrayal of Grodd."
Turning Gorilla Grodd into the subject of an in-universe true-crime documentary is such a ridiculous idea that it has plenty of potential. Pairing him with Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen makes it even more interesting, especially with the Daily Planet characters from Superman returning around him.
One major DC character hasn't been mentioned, though. There's currently nothing indicating that The Flash will appear in The People v. Gorilla Grodd.
Grodd is traditionally one of the Scarlet Speedster's greatest enemies in the comics, but this story appears focused on Grodd's murder conviction, Jimmy's investigation, and the Metropolis criminal justice system rather than his superhero rivalry.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd doesn't have an official HBO Max premiere date yet, though a 2028 launch currently looks likely.
A Gorilla Grodd murder trial presented as a Daily Planet true-crime documentary isn't something I expected from the DCU, but I'm absolutely curious to see how weird this gets.