James Gunn Doesn’t Get Why THE PEOPLE V. GORILLA GRODD is Being Compared to SHE-HULK and INVINCIBLE
Of all the strange corners James Gunn is exploring with the DCU, The People vs. Gorilla Grodd may be the most wonderfully ridiculous yet. It’s an eight-episode true-crime mockumentary that centers on Jimmy Olsen as he investigates a murder involving a telepathic supervillain gorilla. What more do you need?
The upcoming series stars Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, who was introduced in Superman. Created by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the duo behind American Vandal, the comedy follows Olsen as he digs into the crimes of notorious DC villain Gorilla Grodd.
More specifically, Jimmy is investigating whether Grodd was wrongly convicted of murdering his own father. The idea takes the familiar format of a serious true-crime documentary and drops one of DC Comics’ most absurd villains right into the middle of it.
It sounds unlike anything else currently happening in the superhero genre, but ScreenRant recently described The People vs. Gorilla Grodd as a combination of She-Hulk and Invincible.
Gunn doesn’t really see the connection. A fan shared the comparison on Threads while expressing complete faith in whatever Gunn decides to make next:
"After Lanterns and Peacemaker @jamesgunn could green light an 8-episode series of ice cubes melting on a kitchen table and I'd be there every Sunday night with bells on."
Gunn had the best response: "Although, The People Vs is a DCU true crime docuseries, so I don't see what it has in common with either of those shows. But I appreciate the support and hope it will help push my Melty Ice Cube series through this fall."
A Jimmy Olsen true-crime comedy about Gorilla Grodd doesn’t immediately scream She-Hulk or Invincible. If anything, the American Vandal connection gives us a much clearer idea of the kind of comedy The People vs. Gorilla Grodd could be chasing.
Gunn’s response also sparked another interesting possibility. He referred to the project simply as "The People Vs," which has some DC fans wondering whether the series could eventually become an anthology.
That would open the door for Jimmy Olsen to investigate all kinds of bizarre cases involving DC characters. Fans are already pitching potential follow-ups, including "The People vs Giganta," while another suggested: "The People vs Darkseid".
There’s no confirmation that an anthology is actually the plan, so those ideas remain fan speculation for now. But, it’s easy to see why people are running with it. A rotating DCU true-crime mockumentary could get awesomely weird.