James Gunn confirms the Jimmy Olsen spinoff doubles as a Gorilla Grodd series — by design

Just when you thought the DC Universe couldn't get any more eclectic, they've decided to throw a curveball: not just a Jimmy Olsen series, but a show that's half Olsen, half Gorilla Grodd. That's right—your favourite boy reporter and a telepathic super-intelligent gorilla, sharing equal billing. Welcome to James Gunn's DCU, where the unexpected is apparently par for the course.

Wait, It Really Is Both

If you're thinking, 'Hang on, weren't we getting a Jimmy Olsen spin-off and now it's a Grodd show?'—turns out, the answer is no. According to Gunn himself, the project was always intended as a double act. On Threads, Gunn put it bluntly:

'It's both a Jimmy Olsen AND a Gorilla Grodd show. And it's one of my favourite projects. We start filming soon.'

So ignore any chatter that Grodd snuck in later or took the series over; Gunn shot that rumour down in an Instagram comment. He insists he pitched the pair together long before setting up shop at DC. In his own words:

'It didn't become anything. It is what it's always been, including pitching it as part of the package before I even started at DC.'

The Daily Planet’s Latest Line-up

All this DCU shuffling started with Superman, where Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and David Corenswet's Clark Kent get most of the press, but Jimmy Olsen (played by Skyler Gisondo) gets some spotlight of his own. Unlike previous incarnations, the new Olsen's a bit more of a heartthrob—an unlikely ladies' man, apparently. Not entirely what you expect from the bloke usually more famous for his bow tie than any kind of romantic prowess.

The new Daily Planet staffers look like this:

• Bennett as run-of-the-mill reporter Steve Lombard
• Mikaela Hoover taking over as Cat Grant, the gossip columnist
• Christopher McDonald in as Ron Troupe
• Wendell Pierce as Perry White, chief of the newsroom
• Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet as the main duo, Lois and Clark

The Bigger Picture: What's Next for Jimmy?

Jimmy Olsen doesn't stop there. He’s also set to show up in Man of Tomorrow, the next Superman movie. Production's meant to kick off in April 2026, aiming for a July 9, 2027 release—which, let’s be fair, is lightyears away in superhero terms.

James Gunn gave some hints about the direction of Man of Tomorrow when he was on the Howard Stern show last September: 'It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat. It’s more complicated than that but. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much.'

There’s a fair bit of speculation circulating that the so-called “big threat” may actually be Brainiac—a theory not helped by the fact Gunn recently teased the script title page, giving armchair detectives plenty to pore over.