Has Superman’s Jimmy Olsen spinoff finally found its Gorilla Grodd?

If you told me DC would ever go full true-crime-docuseries with Jimmy Olsen as a host and Gorilla Grodd as the series centrepiece, I’d have laughed you out of the room. But here we are: it’s 2026, the Superman spinoff series DC Crime is being lined up, and the rumour mill has spat out a pretty left-field bit of casting news.

Jimmy Tatro Steps Up… as a Hyper-Intelligent Ape

Word is, Jimmy Tatro—the bloke you’ll remember from American Vandal or, if you’ve lost touch with youth culture, possibly Modern Family—is in talks to play Gorilla Grodd. Yes, the actual mind-controlling, Flash-vexing, simian supervillain. That’s not a typo. Not your average bit of DC casting, is it?

The news made its way out via Deadline and was first tipped by Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider, for those keeping track of sourcing. Neither HBO Max nor DC Studios have put out an official statement, which, let’s be real, usually means it’s true but the paperwork’s still shuffling between lawyers.

What Exactly Is DC Crime Supposed To Be?

This isn’t your standard cape-wearing hero show. DC Crime pitches itself as a true-crime docuseries—a send-up of your classic Netflix 'did they or didn’t they' documentaries—hosted by Jimmy Olsen. That’s right, the Daily Planet’s boy wonder is front and centre, played by Skyler Gisondo (he’s also Jimmy Olsen in James Gunn’s Superman film that's landed this summer).

Presumably, season one zeroes in on Gorilla Grodd’s various psychic shenanigans. ‘Hyper-intelligent telepathic ape’, according to the DC spiel. For those not in the know, Grodd spent decades getting in The Flash’s way and developing a taste for ruling both apes and humans—a proper megalomaniac, but in fur.

The whole Grodd origin story—alien spaceships, sudden psychic abilities, and all the rest—dates back to 1959, with comic writers regularly retooling his backstory ever since. He’s even cropped up in the now-defunct Arrowverse on TV, but this’ll be a fresh take, if everything comes together.

Behind The Curtain: Who’s Actually Making It?

• Showrunners/Creators: Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault (yes, the same duo behind Netflix’s ‘American Vandal’—fitting, considering the tone)
• Executive Producers: James Gunn and Peter Safran (the current DC Studios head honchos)
• Writer/EP/Showrunners: Yacenda and Perrault again, writing and running the show
• Production: Warner Bros. Television & DC Studios, with Galen Vaisman apparently keeping an eye on it all

If you’re a fan of American Vandal’s faux-documentary style, you’ll probably clock the influence straight away. That series ran 2017 to 2018 and poked relentless fun at the genre (yes, the 'who drew the dicks' meme show).

Tatro’s CV: More Than Just Pratfalls

Tatro showed up recently in Scream 7 (the one directed by Kevin Williamson, because apparently we’re still making those). His CV also includes The Real Bros of Simi Valley, Modern Family, and Home Economics. The switch from streaming comedy to pretending to be a malevolent, psychic gorilla is…well, that’s range.

Of course, with zero comment from HBO Max or DC Studios, none of this is set in stone. Until someone flashes us a press release or a production still of Tatro in mo-cap pyjamas, your guess is as good as mine.