Jimmy Olsen Actor Skyler Gisondo Set for HBO Comedy The People v. Gorilla Grodd
Skyler Gisondo, who played Jimmy Olsen in the 2025 Superman film, is set to reprise the role in a new HBO series. The show is called The People v. Gorilla Grodd, and HBO Max has ordered eight episodes. Deadline reported the news on 12 November 2026.
The order is what the industry calls a straight-to-series order, meaning the streamer committed to a full run without a pilot episode being filmed first. A pilot is a test episode, usually shot to see whether a show is worth making.
The series is a workplace comedy told in the style of a true-crime mockumentary, the fake-documentary format that uses talking-head interviews. Season 1 follows Gorilla Grodd, a gorilla who gains psychic powers and other abilities after an encounter with an alien spaceship. Jimmy Tatro is cast as Grodd.
The rest of the cast includes Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds and Tim Baltz are also in the cast.
Gisondo spoke about the news while promoting his film Focker-in-Law. He was also asked about a bigger change at the studio behind his Superman role. Peter Safran and James Gunn have exited DC Studios.
Gisondo said that kind of decision was not his area. "Oh, that kind of stuff is definitely above my pay grade," he said. He said he loves Gunn and Safran, is grateful to them and thinks they did a great job. He said he hopes to work with them again and will miss them.
He also said there are still many questions about what their exit means going forward. For now, the one thing confirmed is the eight-episode order and Gisondo's return to the role he first played on the big screen.
