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Jimmy Olsen’s ‘Superman’ spinoff finds its main villain in ‘Scream 7’ actor — meet Season 1’s big bad

Jimmy Olsen’s latest investigation leads to one of DC’s most feared villains, and a familiar star is bringing the iconic character to life.

Jimmy Tatro has found his next big role in the DC Universe. The actor, best known for ‘American Vandal’, will play Gorilla Grodd in HBO Max’s upcoming series ‘DC Crime’. The casting was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, giving fans their latest update on one of DC Studios’ newest television projects. The upcoming series is related to James Gunn’s new DC Universe and offers a very different take on comic book storytelling. Rather than following superheroes saving the day, ‘DC Crime’ takes a mock true-crime approach, with Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen leading the investigation into cases involving dangerous metahumans. Skyler Gisondo, who portrays Jimmy Olsen in Gunn’s ‘Superman’, will return to play the character in the series.

Jimmy will be the host of a documentary-style program that explores crimes involving some of DC’s most infamous villains. The first season will center on Gorilla Grodd, making the telepathic ape the main focus of the investigation. That puts Tatro in the spotlight as one of DC Comics’ oldest and most recognizable villains. For comic book readers, Gorilla Grodd hardly needs an introduction. First appearing in 1959, the character is a “hyper-intelligent telepathic ape who has sought to rule both the simian and human worlds, though the Flash has frequently thwarted his plans.” The villain has appeared in several animated projects, video games, and live-action television over the years, including The CW’s ‘The Flash’. Now, ‘DC Crime’ is taking a different route by building an entire season around him instead of using him as just another villain-of-the-week.

The creative team behind the project is also familiar with the mock-documentary format. ‘DC Crime’ comes from Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda, the duo responsible for Netflix’s hit satire ‘American Vandal’. The series earned praise during its two-season run between 2017 and 2018 for cleverly spoofing true-crime documentaries while still telling interesting mysteries. Perrault and Yacenda will write the new DC series, serve as showrunners, and executive produce. James Gunn and Peter Safran, who oversee DC Studios, are also executive producers, while Galen Vaisman is supervising production. Warner Bros. Television is producing the project.

Meanwhile, many viewers first discovered Tatro through ‘American Vandal’. He also appeared in ‘The Real Bros of Simi Valley’ and landed roles on shows such as ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Home Economics’. More recently, audiences saw him in ‘Scream 7’, directed by Kevin Williamson for Paramount Pictures. However, fans will have to wait a little longer before seeing Jimmy Tatro’s take on Gorilla Grodd. ‘DC Crime’ is still in the early stages of development, with casting continuing and more announcements expected in the coming months. HBO Max has not revealed a release date yet, so it will be some time before Jimmy Olsen’s latest investigation makes its way to the screen.