James Gunn's Superman Spinoff Is Taking A Bigger Risk Than Marvel's She-Hulk

Published Oct 22, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once.

The DC Universe continues to expand on the big screen and TV, and in the latter, a spinoff to James Gunn’s Superman is taking an even bigger risk than Marvel did with She-Hulk. After the ups and downs of the DC Extended Universe, the world of DC Comics went through a much-needed change, and the DC Universe was born. The DC Universe brings together movies, TV shows, and video games, and it officially kicked off in 2024 with the animated show Creature Commandos.

Although it’s still a new connected universe, the DC Universe has had more ups and downs so far, and it still has many more movies and TV shows lined up for the near future. On TV, its most recent release was Lanterns, which was a hit with critics and general audiences, and the next project in line is the biggest risk the DC Universe has had on its TV branch so far: The People v. Gorilla Grodd, created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd is a spinoff of James Gunn’s Superman, the DC Universe’s first movie, and it will bring Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen back, though now in a lead role. The People v. Gorilla Grodd is expected to arrive in mid-to-late 2027, and while there’s still a somewhat long wait ahead, the project is taking a big risk, even more than Marvel did with its most divisive and criticized TV show to date: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd Has An Even Wilder Premise Than She-Hulk

The People v. Gorilla Grodd is described as a mockumentary crime comedy superhero TV show, presented as a true crime docuseries hosted by the Daily Planet’s young reporter, Jimmy Olsen. The People v. Gorilla Grodd will follow Olsen and his team of reporters as they investigate the case of Gorilla Grodd (Jimmy Tatro), a superintelligent ape with psychic abilities who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City, and was incarcerated at Stryker’s Island.

Olsen and his team, then, try to reopen the case and expose the truth. The People v. Gorilla Grodd is set after the events of Man of Tomorrow, and it’s said to also feature other time periods. The concept of The People v. Gorilla Grodd might sound familiar to fans of superhero shows, as the MCU’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law had a similar one, following defense attorney Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), who begins to take cases that involve people with superpowers, such as Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. Abomination.

The focus on Gorilla Grodd makes the DC Universe show wilder than She-Hulk, but, at the same time, this universe has already seen some wild characters that have worked well, as is the case for Creature Commandos. The DC Universe has a good track record so far, so as strange and similar to She-Hulk as The People v. Gorilla Grodd seems right now, it will most likely find the right style and tone to make its premise work.

She-Hulk Should Be A Cautionary Tale For James Gunn's DCU

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Despite their different styles and approaches to a connected universe (and a multiverse), what happened with the MCU’s She-Hulk should be a cautionary tale for the DC Universe. She-Hulk is now remembered as one of the MCU’s biggest TV failures, even though it had its strengths, mostly Maslany’s performance. However, it had more flaws than good things, such as bad CGI and visual effects, weak writing, humor that rarely landed, and a meta-narrative that, while fitting with the character due to her comic book history, didn’t work well for the show.

It’s not so much that legal-workplace comedy and superheroes don’t mix, but more like the approach and development of She-Hulk wasn’t done well. She-Hulk should now serve as a cautionary tale for the DC Universe (and, hopefully, a lesson learned for the MCU), showing what not to do with a show that mixes superheroes and legal-workplace comedy.

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The People v. Gorilla Grodd needs a well-defined tone and to do its legal research, two of the biggest mistakes of She-Hulk, as well as knowing its characters and giving them the development they deserve. The People v. Gorilla Grodd is definitely risky, but it has the potential to succeed.

Cast

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  Jimmy Tatro

  Gorilla Grodd

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  Skyler Gisondo

  Jimmy Olsen

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  Beck Bennett

  Steve Lombard

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  Mikaela Hoover

  Cat Grant