Jimmy Tatro Reportedly Going Ape as Gorilla Grodd in DC Studios’ Jimmy Olsen Series
Jimmy Tatro, best known for his breakout performance in Netflix’s American Vandal, is reportedly being lined up to portray the hyper-intelligent, telepathic ape in DC Studios’ upcoming HBO Max series centered on Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen. However, two major entertainment publications are reporting his casting status differently.
Deadline broke the news by reporting that Tatro is “in talks” to join the live-action series as Gorilla Grodd. Entertainment Weekly later reported that Tatro “will play” Grodd and said it had independently confirmed the casting. Deadline’s wording suggests negotiations may still be underway, while Entertainment Weekly presents the deal as completed. The still-untitled series has repeatedly been referred to as DC Crime in media reports, but Gunn has made it clear that this is not the project’s official name. He stated that the show “is not and has never been called DC Crime.”
What has been confirmed is far more interesting. Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role as Jimmy Olsen from Superman, joining other Daily Planet journalists as they investigate crimes involving villainous metahumans. Gorilla Grodd and the mystery surrounding him will be the focus of the show’s first season.Gunn described the project as “both a Jimmy Olsen AND a Gorilla Grodd show,” called it one of his favorite DC Studios projects and indicated that filming would begin soon. That suggests viewers may experience the story from both sides: the reporters chasing the truth and the brilliant villain trying to stay several steps ahead of them.
Tatro’s involvement would also mark an exciting reunion. American Vandal creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda are developing the HBO Max series and will write, executive-produce and serve as showrunners. Their acclaimed Netflix series transformed an absurd high-school mystery into a compelling true-crime parody filled with sharp comedy, emotional depth and surprisingly engaging investigative storytelling. Tatro proved in American Vandal that he could take a character who initially appeared ridiculous and make him funny, sympathetic and layered. That ability could be vital for Gorilla Grodd, a character who could easily become a visual joke in the wrong hands. Grodd possesses genius-level intelligence, immense physical strength and devastating mental abilities. DC’s official profile describes him as a telepathic ape determined to conquer humanity and rule both the human and simian worlds.
The villain first appeared in The Flash #106 in 1959 and has traditionally been one of the Scarlet Speedster’s most recognizable enemies. Placing him in a Jimmy Olsen and Daily Planet series proves that DC Studios is not restricting its characters to their most familiar corners of the comic-book universe. The series also expands the Superman corner of the new DC Universe without requiring Clark Kent to carry every Metropolis-based story. Jimmy Olsen and the Daily Planet staff will instead headline an investigation of their own.
Jimmy may not have superpowers, but DC describes the courageous photographer and journalist as a hero in his own right—someone willing to place himself in danger to capture an important photograph, uncover the truth or land the story of the century. That makes Jimmy the perfect character to guide audiences through the stranger and more unpredictable crimes unfolding across the DC Universe.
An investigative series featuring Daily Planet reporters pursuing a telepathic super-gorilla sounds outrageous, but it also sounds like exactly the kind of bold comic-book storytelling television needs. Whether Tatro’s deal is complete or still crossing the negotiating finish line, the possibility of the American Vandal star becoming Gorilla Grodd makes this one of DC Studios’ wildest and most intriguing projects. Superman may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but Jimmy Olsen is about to discover that getting the story could mean entering the mind of a monster.
