On Set with The People vs Gorilla Grodd: First Photos

There it is: a hulking, suited figure towering on a college quad, wearing a cap and gown. Surreal. The first behind-the-scenes images from The People Vs Gorilla Grodd have surfaced, and they do more than tease—they invite questions.

Posted to X by AtlantaDCFans, the photos show what appears to be a fully practical Gorilla Grodd on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. He’s oddly elegant in a graduation ensemble, standing among extras who look like students. The sight reads like a still from a dark comedy—an apex predator in academia.

Will the finished show keep this practical approach, or will Grodd be replaced by digital effects? Industry observers at DCFilmNews think the suit is likely a temporary stand-in for later CGI work. That wouldn’t be surprising. Productions often use physical pieces on set to get performances and eyelines right, then layer effects in post.

There’s meat to this spin-off beyond a clever costume. The People Vs Gorilla Grodd springs from the same James Gunn-led universe that rebooted Superman in 2025, yet it aims for a different register. Styled as a faux-documentary, the eight-episode series sends Jimmy Olsen down a rabbit hole—reopening Grodd’s case after the gorilla’s conviction for the murder of his father, the king of a gorilla city. It promises mystery, satire, and that uncanny collision of superhero spectacle with down-to-earth procedural curiosity.

Talent-wise, the show leans on familiar faces. Jimmy Tatro provides the voice for Grodd, while Skyler Gisondo returns as Jimmy Olsen after his appearance in Gunn’s Superman. From the Superman cast, Beck Bennett shows up as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White—names that suggest the series will feel tightly connected to the theatrical world audiences already know.

And behind the cameras? The series is being made by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the creative minds who helped shape American Vandal’s mockumentary sensibility. That pedigree explains the choice of format: expect investigative beats, tongue-in-cheek interviews, and the slow unraveling of a case that may not be as open-and-shut as it seemed.

For fans of DC’s cinematic turn, these images are a first, tantalizing look at tone and texture. A practical Grodd raises intriguing possibilities for how the show will balance character-driven comedy with visual daring. HBO Max will host the series, and with production parking at Georgia Tech, Atlanta has once again become one of the DC universe’s production hotspots.

Curious where the narrative will go next? Keep an eye on the drops from set—because if the photos are a hint, this spin-off plans to be equal parts courtroom drama, character study, and bizarre campus tale.