Superman's Jimmy Olsen says the DCU's Gorilla Grodd murder trial happens before Man of Tomorrow
Skyler Gisondo, back as Jimmy Olsen, says HBO Max’s true-crime mockumentary sits between Superman and its sequel, out on 9 July 2027.
We've all seen superhero timelines get a bit messy, but the The People v. Gorilla Grodd series seems to be planting its flag somewhere unusual. Skyler Gisondo, who’s back as Jimmy Olsen, has finally lifted the lid—well, sort of—on where this legal-drama-with-apes fits in amongst all the capes and chaos of the current DCU.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd takes place 'sort of somewhere in between the two [Superman movies]... it’s kind of almost adjacent to this main timeline, but before the events of the second movie,' Skyler Gisondo told ScreenRant.
If you’re not keeping score, that 'second movie' would be Man of Tomorrow, which is now officially hitting screens on 9 July 2027. Gisondo also reminisced about how making that one was a blast—apparently, spending weeks together in a hotel near the studio made it all feel like a bit of a summer holiday for the cast. Sometimes even superheroes just want a pool and a half-decent brekkie.
Inside the Grodd Case
Rather than another standard city-smashing adventure, The People v. Gorilla Grodd turns the script on its head: Gorilla Grodd (Jimmy Tatro) stands trial, accused of offing his own father—the King of Gorilla City. It’s not a straightforward whodunnit, either. The series leans into a true-crime docuseries vibe, with Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen re-investigating whether Metropolis might’ve bungled the case and put the wrong ape away. If that sounds bizarre, you’re not wrong. But apparently, that's exactly the point.
Describing the feel of the show, Gisondo called it 'very Lance/Primetime adjacent, this kind of true-crime mockumentary thing,' adding, 'It’s fun. You feel very free. Anything could happen at any time.'
He’s not shy about his admiration for creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda (yes, the brains behind American Vandal) and reckons this project is genuinely unlike anything DC’s put out to date. Colour me curious—if they keep the style as sharp as their other mockumentaries, it could be a real standout.
The Lineup and What’s Next
Production kicked off just this August once HBO Max greenlit the eight-episode run. Familiar faces are back: Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, and Wendell Pierce all return in their Superman roles, while new blood on the docket includes Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault (pulling double duty), Andrew Leeds, Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, and Tim Baltz. So far, we've got no official release date—HBO Max is keeping that one locked up for now.
Man of Tomorrow opens 9 July 2027, placing The People v. Gorilla Grodd just before its events in the DCU timeline.