HBO Max orders Jimmy Olsen spinoff as true crime mockumentary

DC Crime: Jimmy Olsen Spinoff Series Lands at HBO Max

DC Studios and HBO Max are moving forward with a Superman spinoff series starring the breakout character from this summer’s film. The project, titled DC Crime, will feature Skyler Gisondo reprising his role as Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen in a fictional true crime docuseries format, with the first season focusing on the villainous Gorilla Grodd.hollywoodreporter

The Hollywood Reporter and Variety confirmed the development on November 10, with Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault—the Emmy-nominated creators behind Netflix’s American Vandal—set to write, executive produce, and showrun the series. DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran will also executive produce, with Galen Vaisman overseeing production for DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television serving as the studio.variety

A Mockumentary Approach to the DC Universe

The series will center on Olsen and other Daily Planet reporters—excluding Clark Kent and Lois Lane—as they investigate cases involving super-powered villains through a documentary lens. The concept marks an unusual approach for superhero television, blending newsroom drama with mockumentary-style storytelling similar to American Vandal, which won a Peabody Award and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series.hollywoodreporter

Gisondo’s portrayal of Jimmy Olsen became “a true breakout” from Gunn’s Superman, which grossed $616.6 million worldwide after its July 11 release. The film’s success appears to have accelerated the spinoff’s development, which was first rumored in July when The Wall Street Journal reported that both Jimmy Olsen and Mr. Terrific series were “being considered”.imdb

Gorilla Grodd’s Live-Action DCU Debut

The first season will spotlight Gorilla Grodd, a super-intelligent telepathic ape who rules the hidden African city known as Gorilla City. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in The Flash #106 in May 1959 and is primarily known as an antagonist of the Scarlet Speedster.hollywoodreporter

Grodd previously made a brief appearance in the animated Creature Commandos series, where he was shown in a vision depicting a dystopian future. In a June interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn had hinted at plans for the character, stating “I love Grodd, I got other plans for that guy”. The director also previously mentioned to Entertainment Weekly that his “favorite thing” in development was an HBO Max series he kept secret because it would be “too easy to rip off by another company,” which now appears to have been DC Crime.comicbookmovie

No release date has been announced for DC Crime, though Gunn’s enthusiasm for the project suggests it remains a priority as the DCU continues expanding beyond Superman’s theatrical debut.thedirect