- A Superman spin-off show is reportedly in development for HBO Max
- It’s described as a true crime mockumentary TV series
- The project will star Jimmy Olsen and a key member of The Flash’s rogues gallery
James Gunn’s Superman movie is reportedly getting a spin-off show.
According to Variety, the project, which is said to be titled DC Crime, will feature Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen as its lead protagonist, with the character expected to be the ‘host’ of an in-universe true crime docuseries.
Other outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter (THR), have claimed other members of The Daily Planet’s news reporting team are in line to appear. However, THR has indicated David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, who also work for The Daily Planet, won’t be involved.
The DC Universe (DCU) TV project, which will debut on HBO Max, will be helmed by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, whose previous credits include mockumentary series like Netflix’s American Vandal and Paramount+’s Players. It’s possible, then, that DC Crime may have have a satirical edge to it not unlike The Office or Abbott Elementary.
Curiously, Gunn hasn’t officially announced if this DCU Chapter One TV show is officially in development. Usually, the DC Studios co-chief takes to social media to confirm or deny reports from the trades, but he’s yet to comment on this specific project.
That said, Gunn has occasionally hinted that a Superman spin-off show was in the works. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly (EW) in June, he said: “There’s another TV show that’s my favorite thing in all of this [DCU Chapter One], that is hopefully getting made soon. It’s just my favorite thing”. In September, Gunn seemed to tease the same project in a GQ magazine interview, saying: “I’m excited about one TV project in particular. I don’t know why we’re not greenlighted on that already – it’s just figuring out the budget.”
Who is Gorilla Grodd and what role will he play in DC Crime?
Per Variety and THR, the first season of DC Crime will also feature Gorilla Grodd, a supervillain with big ties to The Flash.
For those unfamiliar with the character: Grodd, who made his DC Comics debut in May 1959, is a member of a super-intelligent society of gorillas who acquired superpowers after he was exposed to radiation from a crashed alien spaceship.
Alongside his genius-level intellect and the usual powerset – superhuman strength, reflexes, speed, stamina, and durability – Grodd also possesses telepathic and telekinetic abilities. It’ll be interesting to see if one of The Flash’s primary antagonists comes equipped with all of these powers in the DCU and if his actual introduction to Gunn and Peter Safran’s cinematic franchise in DC Crime paves the way for Barry Allen/The Flash to make his own DCU debut.
I say Grodd’s “actual introduction” because this isn’t the first time he’s appeared in a DCU project. Indeed, he showed up a background character in season 1 episode 4 of Creature Commandos. While DC Crime will serve as his live-action debut, then, it won’t mark his first appearance in Warner Bros’ rebooted comic book universe.
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