New Set Photos Give Us Our First Look at Gorilla Grodd Ahead of His HBO Max Courtroom Comedy ‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd’

DC Studios has spent the past year proving it’s willing to get weird with its post-‘Superman’ expansion, branching out from traditional superhero fare into genuinely unconventional television formats. Between animated spinoffs and a Green Lantern series already drawing strong reviews, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU has shown a clear appetite for taking creative risks.

That experimentation reaches new heights with ‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd,’ an eight-episode half-hour comedy following Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, as he reopens a murder investigation involving the superintelligent ape Gorilla Grodd. Structured as a true-crime mockumentary in the vein of ‘American Vandal,’ the series marks one of the more unusual entries in DC Studios’ expanding slate.

Now, fresh set photos have given fans their first glimpse of production in action, with a placeholder figure standing in for Grodd himself while filming takes place. According to the source sharing the images, the character is expected to be rendered entirely through CGI once the series is complete, meaning the figure seen on set serves purely as a stand-in for blocking and lighting purposes.

Jimmy Tatro, known for ‘American Vandal’ and ‘Home Economics,’ takes on the role of Gorilla Grodd, marking his introduction to the DC Universe. He’s joined by several familiar faces from ‘Superman,’ including Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce reprising his role as Daily Planet editor Perry White.

Rounding out the cast are Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds, and Tim Baltz, all cast in roles that remain undisclosed as of the show’s initial announcement. That mix of comedic talent reflects the show’s tonal ambitions, leaning into character-driven humor rather than traditional superhero spectacle.

The series comes from Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the creative duo behind Netflix’s acclaimed mockumentary comedy ‘American Vandal.’ Yacenda and Perrault serve as writers, showrunners, and executive producers, with Yacenda directing all eight episodes himself, giving the series a consistent creative vision across its entire run.

According to the official logline, Gorilla Grodd stands convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City, and Jimmy Olsen’s docuseries sets out to investigate whether that conviction was actually justified. That premise positions the show less as a conventional superhero story and more as a satirical dive into the DCU’s criminal justice system, filtered through Olsen’s perspective as an in-world documentarian.

James Gunn and Peter Safran explained their enthusiasm for the project in a statement shared with Variety, saying they knew coming out of ‘Superman’ that the chemistry among the Daily Planet cast made this corner of the DCU worth exploring further. They added that working with Perrault and Yacenda would allow them to explore darker and funnier corners of Metropolis through Jimmy’s docuseries lens.

That vote of confidence comes on the heels of strong momentum for DC Studios’ television output more broadly, following positive reception for ‘Lanterns’ earlier this year. With Gisondo’s performance as Jimmy Olsen already drawing praise from ‘Superman’ audiences, HBO Max appears confident in expanding his role into a full leading spinoff.

With production now visibly underway and Grodd’s CGI transformation still ahead, ‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd’ remains in the early stages of its journey toward release. No official premiere date has been announced yet, but the show’s unconventional format and the pedigree behind it have already made it one of the more closely watched DC Studios projects currently in production.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.