The People v. Gorilla Grodd Lands Eight-Episode Series Order From HBO Max

HBO Max announced today that the streamer has given an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for the new comedy series, The People v. Gorilla Grodd. The new show comes from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television. It will feature Skyler Gisondo reprising his role as Jimmy Olsen from last year’s Superman.

Gisondo stars opposite Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd. Other Superman actors who are reprising their roles for the series include Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. Other cast members include Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds, and Tim Baltz.

Tony Yacenda and Perrault are serving as the showrunners, writers, and executive producers, with Yacenda attached to direct all eight episodes. DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are also executive producing the series.

In the new show, the super-intelligent ape known as Grodd is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City. In an eight-part “true” crime docuseries, Jimmy Olsen of the Daily Planet reopens the case, investigating whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of the most famous murder trials in the history of Metropolis.

Head of HBO & HBO Max Comedy Series and EVP of HBO Programming Amy Gravitt commented on the announcement via press release, stating: “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. 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.”

James Gunn and Pete Safran added in a joint statement: “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. 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.”

Showrunners and executive producers Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault also commented: “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. 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 People v. Gorilla Grodd Is in the Works at HBO Max

Based on the logline, it sounds like this will be a mockumentary-style series, as Olsen investigates the murder of Grodd’s father. HBO Max released an in-universe article (see below) from The Daily Planet about the series, describing how Grodd was convicted of “the murder and brain consumption” of his father, King Grodd, in 2021. However, Gorilla Grodd maintains his innocence of the crime.

According to the fictional article, Olsen is directing the docuseries, with Perry White serving as supervising producer, and Cat Grant and Steve Lombard producing the in-universe project.

Debuting in the pages of The Flash #106 in 1959, Gorilla Grodd was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino. The character has long been associated with the Scarlet Speedster as a villain.

Grodd has made multiple appearances in television, animation, and video games over the years. The character made his live-action debut in The CW live-action television series The Flash, and he was a recurring villain throughout the series. He also appeared in another DCU CW spin-off, Legends of Tomorrow.

This marks the latest television project from Gunn’s updated multimedia DC Universe. The new Lanterns TV series also debuted on HBO Max earlier this week.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd doesn’t yet have an official release date. It will stream later, exclusively on HBO Max.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The new DC Studios series The People v. Gorilla Grodd is coming soon to HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/cMfgyhC2j6

— HBO Max (@hbomax) August 21, 2026