You remember how last November we brought you news that Skyler Gisondo, fan-favourite star of James Gunn’s Superman, looked set to get his own Jimmy Olsen centred DCU spin-off series called DC Crime? And do you remember how we also said Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda — co-creators of mockumentary show American Vandal — had been tapped to write and showrun? Well, after months of radio silence, it looks like that show is still very much in the offing, as Deadline is reporting that Theater Camp star Jimmy Tatro is in talks to star in the series. And what’s more, he’s apparently looking to play none other than DC Comics’ astute, evil, astutely evil ape Gorilla Grodd!
Now, DC Crime hasn’t officially even been given the greenlight by James Gunn and Peter Safran just yet, it’s worth noting. However, back when word of the proposed show — a fictional true-crime series revolving around Gisondo’s Olsen and his Daily Planet colleagues — first got out, it’s also worth bearing in mind that reports did specifically mention how the first series would potentially revolve around Gorilla Grodd. Having made a cameo, albeit a non-speaking one, in Gunn’s animated Creature Commandos, Grodd — most often featured in DC Comics as a regular of The Flash’s rogues gallery — makes a lot of sense as a potential villainous lead. Being a deep-cut comics villain who both poses enough of a threat to carry a season and comes with enough relative anonymity to feel fresh for mainstream audiences, Grodd perfectly fits the vibe of Gunn’s Silver Age modelled DCU and its leaning into the weirder side of Detective Comics.
Billed as ‘a true-crime docuseries’ hosted by Jimmy Olsen, DC Crime sounds like it would represent another stylistically and tonally different branch of Gunn’s ever-expanding DC Universe. And with the criminally underrated Skyler Gisondo and equally criminally underrated Jimmy Tatro leading (seriously, just watch him in Theater Camp and try to keep a straight face — it’s impossible!), should the show land a straight-to-series order, then there’s already plenty of reason to get hyped about this one. Until then, stay tuned for more updates just as soon as we get ’em.
