The People v. Gorilla Grodd is a great example of an interesting idea that comes at the worst possible time for DC.
The Superman universe is heading to television. HBO Max has given The People v. Gorilla Grodd a straight-to-series order. The half-hour comedy will see Skyler Gisondo reprise his role from Superman as Jimmy Olsen, the reporter who works alongside Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Jimmy Tatro will play Gorilla Grodd, the notorious villain who gains significant mental powers after a chance encounter with an alien spacecraft.
The official logline reads, “A superintelligent ape is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City. In an eight-part true crime docuseries, the Daily Planet’s Jimmy Olsen reopens the case, investigating whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of Metropolis’ most famous murder trials.”
Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault will serve as showrunners, writers, and executive producers. The series will be presented as a true-crime mockumentary series.
The People vs. Gorilla Grodd is an innovative series that could be a successful venture. It’s also a major risk that the DCU should not be exploring right now.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd is the risk DCU doesn’t need right now
I respect DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran for thinking outside of the box. DC is not Marvel. Therefore, it should pursue fresh and innovative ideas for its shows. Building Lanterns as a superhero version of True Detective was a smart decision. Allowing the creative duo behind American Vandal to make a DC show in a similar style is a fun proposition. I even think the show has a chance to be good.
However, it’s not what the DCU needs right now. Supergirl’s failure was a major dent in the DCU’s momentum following Superman. Questions are now being asked whether Gunn and Safran are the right minds to lead the DC forward. The early success of Lanterns is a nice rebound, but it doesn’t fix DC’s movie problem. Can DC stories without Batman or Superman at the center succeed? We’ll find out again in October with Clayface.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd is too risky a proposition right now. DC needs major hits right now to justify its plans for the DCU. It cannot have a Supergirl-like failure again. The DCU should be going all-in on Superman and Batman before expanding to niche characters from those universes.
Jimmy Olsen and Gorilla Grodd are in the Superman universe, but do mainstream audiences know that? Olsen might be a maybe, but it’s definitely a “no” for Gorilla Grodd. At least casual fans knew about The Penguin from The Batman. If this were a Lex Luthor show instead of a Gorilla Grodd show, that makes more sense.
Gorilla Grodd could one day be worthy of a TV show. Even if it’s good, right now is not the time.
