People v. Gorilla Grodd: How James Gunn is Expanding the DCU Through Jimmy Olsen

Introduction

People v. Gorilla Grodd is an upcoming comedy show set in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. It’s created by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the same creators behind American Vandal, a fake-documentary style tv series.

There is no official release date yet, but the show is expected to premiere on Max in 2027, right after the movie Superman: Man of Tomorrow comes out in July 2027. The first season will have eight episodes, starring Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen and Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd.

The story follows Jimmy Olsen as he looks into different DC villains. The first season focuses on Gorilla Grodd, a gorilla who gets mind powers after touching alien tech.

Who Is Jimmy Olsen and Why Is He Important?

Jimmy Olsen is Clark Kent’s best friend and a photographer working at the Daily Planet with Clark and Lois Lane.

Jimmy doesn’t have any superpowers, but that’s what makes him special. He is the bridge between Superman and normal people. In Superman (2025), having Jimmy around shows Clark’s life outside of superhero fights.

In classic comics like Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, his stories were used to introduce new characters and ideas that became huge in the DC Universe, like Darkseid and Project Cadmus.

Jimmy isn’t important because he’s strong or a superhero. He’s important because he’s Superman’s close friend and a big part of DC history. That normal human side is why he fits so well in a show like People v. Gorilla Grodd.

The DCU Timeline So Far

James Gunn and Peter Safran are starting a completely new DC Universe, separate from the old DCEU with Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman.

The new universe starts with Creature Commandos in late 2024, followed by Superman in 2025. Here is the list of announced projects:

• Creature Commandos (2024–2025): The first official DCU show. It introduces Rick Flag Sr., who becomes important later in the story.
• Superman (July 2025): The first main DCU movie. Clark has been Superman for three years, and it introduces Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor and Green Lantern Guy Gardner.
• Peacemaker Season 2 (August 2025): Continues Christopher Smith’s story and connects directly to Rick Flag Sr.’s ongoing story.
• Supergirl (June 2026): Kara Zor-El gets her own movie, taking the DCU into space.
• Lanterns (August 2026): Green Lantern Hal Jordan and rookie John Stewart investigate a murder mystery on Earth.
• Clayface (October 2026): A scary horror movie about the Batman villain. It is separate from Robert Pattinson’s The Batman movie and introduces the first Batman villain in this new universe.

Why Is James Gunn Expanding the DCU This Way?

James Gunn isn’t building this universe around only Superman and Batman. Instead, he’s making a world where superhero action, government stories, aliens, horror and comedy can all exist together.

The goal is to make the DC Universe feel like a real world instead of the same superhero movies repeating over and over. Projects like Clayface (a horror movie) and People v. Gorilla Grodd (a fake-documentary comedy) show that Gunn wants different types of stories in the same universe.

In the end, the real goal is to make people excited for the next DC project, even if it’s about a character they never heard of before.