The Flash might not be as far away in James Gunn’s DC Universe as fans expected, after a new TV series was announced. The DCU took off in full with the astounding success of 2025’s Superman, securing the titular character as a flagship hero for the brand-new franchise while also bringing a number of exciting supporting characters to the attention of non-comic-reading moviegoers. This included Edi Gathegi’s outstanding performance as Mister Terrific, Milly Alcock’s exciting Supergirl, and, of course, Jimmy Olsen.
Actor Skyler Gisondo is best known for his roles on shows like The Righteous Gemstones, and any comic book lover could tell with a glance that he’s astonishingly perfect for Jimmy Olsen. Superman’s beloved young photojournalist friend has yet to find much success in live-action films, but he’s been a staple of the comics for nearly a century, even getting his own runs under the title of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. Now, he’ll have his own TV series, but it won’t be the typical superhero spinoff. The creators of Netflix’s hilarious mockumentary, American Vandal, are developing a show focused on Jimmy Olsen and the Daily Planet’s reporters as they investigate various super-powered villains.
The Jimmy Olsen Show’s First Season Will Focus on Gorilla Grodd
There aren’t many details available for this new TV spinoff, but the limited information suggests that each season will focus on a different villain, with the first centered on Gorilla Grodd. Grodd is an ultra-intelligent gorilla with psychic powers who’s been battling the Flash since the 1950s, and has also served as a villain for the Justice League as part of the Legion of Doom or the Secret Society. For fans of expanded DC media, you might remember Grodd from Justice League Unlimited, in which his rivalry with Lex Luthor played a crucial role in the DCAU’s climactic season. In The CW’s The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Grodd appeared as a prominent recurring villain.
While Grodd is an exciting character to add to the DCU on his own, the primary appeal for those closely following Gunn’s DC Universe is the connection to the Flash himself. Gunn’s roadmap for the DCU includes numerous projects in various stages of development, but there has yet to be any concrete announcement regarding Barry Allen or any speedsters. Gunn may want to put distance between his version of the Flash and the poorly received box office catastrophe directed by Andy Muschietti in 2023, but the true reasoning is unclear; The Flash isn’t the only prominent DC character yet to be announced, and Gunn could just be waiting for the right moment.
A crucial factor in James Gunn’s DCU is that it’s cutting to the chase, skipping origin stories and diving into a pre-established world. The Flash might already exist, and audiences just haven’t seen him yet. This means that a mockumentary series focused on Jimmy Olsen could actually introduce him, if only as a cameo appearance, setting up a film later down the line, without drawing too much attention away from the story. Alternatively, he may not even appear on screen, but it would be bizarre to focus a season on Gorilla Grodd and not at least mention him.
One thing is for certain, however: this isn’t going to be a series about the Flash. James Gunn may tease his bigger DC characters here and there, but if Peacemaker and Creature Commandos are any indicator, he keeps his projects tightly focused on the characters at hand. Of course, this is not directly a James Gunn project, but given that he’s the architect of the broader franchise, viewers should expect things under the umbrella of world-building and character reveals to follow his methodology. Anyone who’s seen American Vandal knows this could be a truly excellent addition to the DC Universe, and the Flash may just be a tiny cherry on top.