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James Gunn's Superman spin-off show is officially in development at DC Studios — and its title, cast, and premise suggest it could be the most unusual DC Universe (DCU) project so far.
Nine months after it emerged that a Superman TV off-shoot was in the works, the actual name of a production tentatively titled DC Crime has finally been revealed. It's called The People v. Gorilla Grodd and, as was previously reported, it'll be a mockumentary series that will center on the hyper-intelligent, telepathic ape known as Gorilla Grodd.
Until now, we'd known next to nothing else about the DCU Chapter One TV show. But, with the eight-episode, half-hour crime comedy series officially greenlit by HBO Max, and DCU overlords Gunn and Peter Safran, we have a much clearer picture of what it's about and who'll star in it.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The new DC Studios series The People v. Gorilla Grodd is coming soon to HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/cMfgyhC2j6August 21, 2026
No. Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the creatives behind Netflix crime mockumentary show American Vandal, have been installed as The People v. Gorilla Grodd's showrunners, writers, and directors. They're part of its executive producing team, too, which also includes Gunn and Safran.
Per an HBO Max press release, The People v. Gorilla Grodd will reunite viewers with four characters from last year's Superman movie, all of whom work for Metropolis news outlet The Daily Planet.
Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen has been installed as the show's protagonist. Meanwhile, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White, all of whom had minor roles in Superman, are also set to feature.
Curiously, Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane isn't part of proceedings. Does this have something to do with her role in 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow? I guess we'll find out at some point.
There are plenty of other familiar faces among the TV project's ensemble. Jimmy Tatro is the most noteworthy of those new DCU additions, with the American Vandal alumnus set to play Grodd.
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Mary Holland (Ghost), Eduardo Franco (Stranger Things), Arian Moayed (Wonder Man), Dan Perrault (American Vandal), Andrew Leeds (Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist), and Tim Baltz (The Righteous Gemstones) are also involved, though their roles are being kept under wraps for now.
Here's the official logline for The People v. Gorilla Grodd: "A superintelligent ape is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City. In an eight-part 'true' crime docuseries, the Daily Planet’s Jimmy Olsen reopens the case, investigating whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of Metropolis’ most famous murder trials."
But wait, there's more, because the above X/Twitter post gives us a more detailed look at the show's wider narrative.
"The People v. Gorilla Grodd will take a fresh, 360-degree look at the case, revealing the 'lesser-seen side' of the hyper-intelligent ape, according to the film's first-time director Jimmy Olsen," it reads. "Olsen was granted unprecedented, exclusive access to interview Grodd inside Stryker's Island Penitentiary for the documentary.
