The DC Universe has had an uneven year so far in 2026: Supergirl may not have taken flight in theaters, but Lanterns has become a major cultural phenomenon that has once again proven the appeal of the DCU brand in a prestige TV format (see also: The Penguin). However, just when it seemed like DC could conquer the television format in a way Marvel Studios hasn’t, news dropped that the next big live-action show being fast-tracked at DC Studios is one no fan ever expected… or asked for.
James Gunn’s Superman (2025) was a hit reboot of the iconic character and a successful introduction to the DCU for mainstream viewers. Superman may have made a star of its titular character (and actor David Corenswet), but it also had some breakout supporting characters, including Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s newsroom sidekick, Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). Now Jimmy will be featured in a spinoff TV series, featuring one of the most fantastical DC villains around. The People v. Gorilla Grodd is already in production, and now we have our first look at the titular DC supervillain.
EXCLUSIVE: First Look at Gorilla Grodd in The People Vs Gorilla Grodd pic.twitter.com/EX2fGv7ANn
What’s blowing DC fans’ minds is not so much the sight of Gorilla Grodd being an actor in a Gorilla Suit, but rather the setting of the scene. This looks like a flashback to Grodd graduating from college, which is not inconceivable as a portion of the villain’s backstory, but is pretty humorous to see being created as a serious Hollywood franchise production. The immediate reaction from fans seems to be a collective sentiment of “…What?” if not “Whyyyyyyyyy?!”
Some people are hoping that this scene isn’t about Grodd at all, but rather some other resident of Gorilla City (DC’s secret city of intelligent Apes). That’s all possible, but the shot of the Gorilla in gray robes certainly seems to suggest that it’s Grodd.
To be fair, at this point we know enough about superhero TV and movie-making that we can reasonably expect Grodd to be realized onscreen through a combination of practical effects (gorilla suit), CGI visual enhancements, and perhaps even some animatronics or puppetry.
this is what the cyclops in odyssey looked like BTS btw pic.twitter.com/wuOOWgeLCO
Actor Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal, Scream 7) will be doing “mostly voice acting” to play Grodd, but suddenly, that “mostly” word is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Will Tatro be in the gorilla suit? By his own words: maybe?
“It’s mostly voice acting,” Tatro previously told the Pardon My Take podcast. “And I think they’re gonna use my expressions. I don’t know exactly the tech. They asked me if I would be interested; it’s the same guys that did American Vandal that are doing this. I don’t know how much I am supposed to say. I feel like they are pretty strict about this stuff. But I’m hyped. I feel like I was born to play a gorilla.”
The People v. Gorilla Grodd has Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault serving as its writers, executive producers, and showrunners. The pair had a breakout hit with American Vandal, the Netflix mockumentary that ran for two seasons (2017-2018). That show made mockery of the true crime documentary genre, following two high schoolers who investigate the “crime” of someone spary painting dirty images all over campus. American Vandal got noteriety (and an Emmy nomination) for playing the joke straight, perfectly mimicking the style and tropes of a true crime doc, even though the subject matter was ridiculous and juvenile.
That’s about the only way we can believe that a show titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd could work: Jimmy Olsen doing “serious” investigative journalism into Grodd’s supervillain career and its legal ramifications, as well as the larger (absurdist) question of a Gorilla being tried by the laws of man.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd is in production. Also returning in the series are Superman‘s Daily Planet news team, including Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.
