HBO Max's ‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd’ Reopens a DCU Murder Trial as a Mockumentary

Summary

The project reframes a DC villain's origin as a true-crime docuseries investigating whether he was wrongly convictedThe creative team behind Netflix's genre-spoofing American Vandal is steering the series as showrunnersSeveral cast members carry over from the 2025 Superman film, extending that movie's Daily Planet ensemble

HBO Max has officially greenlit The People v. Gorilla Grodd, an eight-episode DC Studios mockumentary that stages one of Metropolis' most notorious murder cases as a true-crime docuseries. The premise casts the Daily Planet's Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, as the reporter reopening the conviction of Gorilla Grodd, with Jimmy Tatro taking the title role. First reported in late 2025, the series now has a confirmed title, cast and episode order.

The logline sets up the conceit plainly: a superintelligent ape stands convicted of killing his father, the King of Gorilla City, and Olsen's eight-part investigation probes whether the verdict was wrong. Rather than presenting a conventional comic-book adaptation, the show is framed as an in-world artifact, a documentary the Daily Planet might actually have produced for the citizens of Metropolis.

That framing comes from a creative team with a specific track record in the format. Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, who created the Peabody-winning Netflix series American Vandal and the eSports-set Players, write, executive produce and run the show, with Perrault also appearing in the cast and Yacenda directing all eight episodes. Tatro and fellow cast member Eduardo Franco both appeared in the first season of American Vandal, giving the true-crime satire a direct through-line to the pair's earlier work. "We're excited by the challenge of creating a series that feels less like an entry into the DCU and more like an artifact from it," Yacenda and Perrault said in a statement. "A Daily Planet original documentary made for the people of Metropolis. We hope it'll appeal to fans of the comics, comedy and true crime. And while we can't speak for audiences here yet, we already know it's a huge hit in Metropolis. They love this series."

The ensemble does much of the connective work back to Superman. Alongside Gisondo, that film's actors Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover and Wendell Pierce reprise Steve Lombard, Cat Grant and Perry White, while Mary Holland, Arian Moayed, Andrew Leeds, Tim Baltz and Franco fill out the rest of the cast. HBO executive Amy Gravitt tied the greenlight to that returning group: "We are thrilled to be working with Tony and Dan, alongside James, Peter, the entire DC team and our colleagues at WBTV, to bring these iconic DCU characters to HBO Max in a new and unexpected way," she said. "We already know Skyler Gisondo is pitch-perfect as Jimmy Olsen and we can't wait for fans to experience Jimmy Tatro's captivating and hilarious portrayal of Grodd."

The series positions itself as a comedic side-street within the shared universe James Gunn and Peter Safran are building, and both executives, who also produce, traced the idea back to the Superman set. "Between Skyler's wonderful performance and the fantastic chemistry of the Daily Planet cast, we knew coming out of 'Superman' that this would be a fun world to explore," Gunn and Safran said. "We're excited to work with the brilliant Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda to take the audience down some of the darker and funnier streets and alleyways of the DCU as Jimmy spotlights the Metropolis criminal justice system for his docuseries." DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television produce, with Gunn and Safran executive producing.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd has received an eight-episode order at HBO Max. Stay tuned for a trailer and premiere date.

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