With Supergirl’s lackluster performance now behind it, the DCU is moving forward in a big way, particularly when it comes to the small screen. Last week, it was reported that DC Crime, the Jimmy Olsen-centric television series in the works may have found its big villain with talent in talks for the role of Gorilla Grodd. Now, just a week later, those talks have solidified into something official with the voice of the fan-favorite character officially revealed
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According to Deadline, Jimmy Tatro has been confirmed to join the DCU as Gorilla Grodd, the hyper-intelligent telepathic ape that has appeared as a frequent villain for The Flash on the pages of DC Comics. Tatro joins Skyler Gisondo who will reprise his role as Jimmy Olsen from Superman. Grodd is reportedly set to be the central villain of DC Crime’s first season
Gorilla’s Sell Comics (But Will Grodd Win Over Audiences?)
As DC villains go, Gorilla Grodd is a solid one. The classic villain has long plagued The Flash on the pages of comics and has even proven to be a fan-favorite in live action before thanks to appearances in The CW’s Arrowverse as he caused chaos for the Scarlet Speedster across multiple seasons. And Tatro appears to be a great choice overall. Much of the fan reaction to the news when Tatro was merely rumored for the role was positive, with the Scream 7 and American Vandal alum feeling like a strong fit for the character described as a “hyper-intelligent telepathic ape who has sought to rule bot the simian and human worlds, though the Flash has frequently thwarted his plans.” That said, now that his casting his official, fans have some thoughts about the situation.
While many fans have been cheekily joke-asking why DC has cast a real person as Grodd rather than getting an “actual gorilla”, there are some genuine questions as well. While Grodd is a fan-favorite villain and isn’t that wild of a choice if you really think about Jimmy Olsen’s comic history—he has, after all, dealt with some truly insane scenarios over the years, including being turned into a turtle boy—the lack of information about DC Crime at this point has fans wondering what they can really expect. The series has been suggested to be a true-crime docuseries with Jimmy as the host, but that’s still pretty vague. Some fans are also concerned that, because things are so vague, there’s a real risk that the series could make Grodd more of a comedic villain, something some fans have already expressed concerns over. This also stacks on top of growing concerns about the overall state of DC entertainment following Supergirl’s lackluster performance and yet another delay when it comes to Matt Reeves’ next Batman installment. While that film isn’t in the DCU and is a separate entity, it has still called into question the progression of things on the DCU side as well as what the overall future for this new franchise will actually be.
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