Superman DCU Spinoff Rockets Ahead With Major Update From The Showrunner

Here’s something for the folks who aren’t asleep at the wheel in the ongoing saga of DC’s movie and TV shuffle—there’s a new Superman spin-off series cooking, and we just got a fresh update from the people behind it.

The Big Picture (and No, It’s Not Called 'DC Crime')

Let’s start with what’s already public: James Gunn’s Superman is landing in theaters July 2025. That’s the one with David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. There’s also a sequel, Man of Tomorrow, officially set for 2027. And—because of course there are—the DCU is planning a bunch of spin-offs around their new flagship hero.

The most interesting of those (at least for TV nerds) is a show built around Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s eternally earnest pal from the Daily Planet. Skyler Gisondo is taking over the suspenders for this version. The twist? The creators behind American Vandal (yes, the fake true-crime show with the graffiti and the, let’s say, “anatomical artistry”)—Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault—are running the show. Honestly, that alone makes the vibe very different from your usual cape TV.

What’s Actually Happening With This Show?

First up, a quick bit of rumor control. Some folks thought this spin-off was going to be called DC Crime. Not true—James Gunn debunked that pretty fast. More recently, Dan Perrault was asked if it's called Daily Planet or something else. Here’s what he said:

'It’s a different title that hasn’t been announced yet. We were tossing around some names last week. We really like, honestly, multiple of them, but all I can say is that it’s not called Untitled Jimmy Olsen Show.'

So, translation: expect a name soon, but don’t expect it to be one of the obvious ones.

What Will This Actually Be Like?

This isn’t just another routine DC show, according to the showrunners. Perrault says the vibe should feel familiar if you liked American Vandal—sort of a crime-mystery-comedy hybrid, but with a superhero twist. His words:

'It’s comfortable territory for Tony Yacenda and I. We’ve worked in this crime mystery comedy for a very long time…There are definitely tools from that toolkit that we can apply here that I don’t think has been seen in the superhero genre thus far.'

In other words, get ready for a style and tone that isn’t typical for the spandex crowd.

What’s the Story? Here’s What We Know:

• The first season is being produced by Warner Bros. Television.
• It’s centered on Gorilla Grodd—yes, that Gorilla Grodd, the ultra-smart, mind-controlling ape who’s usually making life miserable for the Flash. (First appeared in 1959, for those keeping score.)
• No story details beyond Grodd—as you’d expect, details are locked up tighter than Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
• The show does not have a release date, and no one’s saying when you’ll see Jimmy Olsen’s big TV moment on HBO Max.

So, to sum up: DC’s taking a big swing on a Jimmy Olsen show made by the guys behind American Vandal, it’s got some kind of quirky-crime-comedy tone, and the first big bad is Gorilla Grodd. We’ll hopefully have a real title (and a premiere date) before Lex Luthor buys the whole network.