‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd’ gets eight-episode series order from HBO Max
Washington [US], August 22 (ANI): HBO Max has officially ordered 'The People v. Gorilla Grodd', an eight-episode, straight-to-series comedy from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television, with Superman actors Skyler Gisondo and Jimmy Tatro leading the cast.
The half-hour series, previously in development as a Superman spinoff centred on Jimmy Olsen, will follow Gisondo's Daily Planet reporter as he investigates one of Metropolis' most notorious murder cases. Tatro will play Gorilla Grodd, the superintelligent DC villain, Deadline has confirmed.
The first season will be presented as a true-crime mockumentary. In the story, Grodd is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City.
Jimmy Olsen subsequently reopens the case for a "true" crime docuseries, investigating whether Grodd was wrongly convicted.
Gorilla Grodd, a character created in 1959 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, has previously appeared in DC's Arrowverse.
The new series will place the character at the centre of a fictional criminal-justice investigation in Metropolis, as per Deadline.
Gisondo and Tatro are joined by several actors reprising their Superman roles, including Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.
The new cast additions are Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds and Tim Baltz.
Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, creators of the 2017 Netflix true-crime satire American Vandal, will serve as showrunners, writers and executive producers.
Yacenda is also set to direct all episodes. DC Studios Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will executive produce.
"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," said Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO and HBO Max Comedy Series, adding, "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," as per Deadline.
Gunn and Safran said the series grew out of the cast's work in Superman and the chemistry among the Daily Planet characters.
"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," said Gunn and Safran, adding, "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."
Yacenda and Perrault said their goal was to make the project feel like an in-universe documentary rather than a conventional DC entry.
"We're excited by the challenge of creating a series that feels less like an entry into the DCU and more like an artefact from it," Yacenda and Perrault said, adding, "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," as quoted by Deadline.
'The People v. Gorilla Grodd' joins HBO Max's DC drama Lanterns on the streamer's slate.
It will also become the platform's second scripted comedy alongside 'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe', which features superhero elements and has a DC-themed episode upcoming.
Filmmaker, co-chairman, and co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn also confirmed the news on his official Instagram handle.
View this post on Instagram
"The People v. Gorilla Grodd, the new show from DC Studios, is coming to HBO Max. Our first foray into the true crime genre. From the creators of American Vandal, starring Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, & Wendell Pierce as Perry White. Additional cast includes Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Dan Perrault & Arian Moayed. Along with Lanterns, this was one of the shows Peter & I pitched to WBD before we came on board. With Tony and Dan at the helm, it's something truly special," he wrote in the caption. (ANI)
