James Gunn's DC Studios has officially cast its first character with major ties to the Flash in the new DC Universe. The Flash has had a complicated run in media over the last couple of decades, with Grant Gustin's The Flash on The CW becoming a big hit in the Arrowverse before Ezra Miller's The Flash turned out to be one of the most maligned movies in DCEU history. While the character is not set to return anytime soon, his world is already being fleshed out.
Deadline reported that Jimmy Tatro has officially signed with DC Studios to portray the role of Gorilla Grodd in DC Crime, the upcoming Jimmy Olsen-led Superman spin-off series on HBO Max. This comes after David Sobolov voiced the powerful villain in multiple episodes of The CW's The Flash series, the longest-running show in the Arrowverse.
Tatro was reported to be in talks for the role a week ago, though it has seemingly become official in the days since the news first broke. This will give Tatro his first comic book role, and it will only be Gorilla Grodd's second live-action appearance after his run on The CW.
In DC Comics, Gorilla Grodd is one of the Flash's most prominent antagonists, shown to be a super-intelligent and telepathic gorilla who can talk. He was blessed with a genius-level intellect and psychic powers from a mysterious meteorite. While he rules over a hidden, technologically advanced land called Gorilla City, he regularly sets out to conquer the human world on Earth.
He is now expected to be one of the biggest villains, if not the main villain, of Skylar Gisondo's upcoming DC Crime series centered on Jimmy Olsen. The show is created by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, and there is no timeframe for its release on HBO Max yet.
When More Flash Characters May Show up in the DCU
While the Flash had a small cameo in a vision from Creature Commandos in 2024, there are no signs pointing to when the character will make his live-action debut as a fully fleshed-out character. Many expect to see the Barry Allen version of the hero, but as The CW's solo series showed, many other speedsters exist in the greater multiverse, including Jay Garrick, Bart Allen, and Wally West.
For now, after Superman and Supergirl, Batman is the only core member of the Justice League who has an officially-titled movie set for development (The Brave and the Bold is still early in development). Additionally, Gunn and co. have plans to give Diana Prince/Wonder Woman her own movie, although casting for the character seems to still be far away from happening.
On the streaming side, HBO Max's Lanterns will bring the first story for Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, delivering the first look into the DCU's Green Lantern Corps. After that, the Flash seems to be one of the heroes fans are most looking forward to seeing, especially after 2023's The Flash became such a critical disaster.
Considering how few DC projects are confirmed and on the official release schedule for Gunn, plus the bleak reviews for the recent movie and the end of The CW's solo series, news on the Flash may still be a long time from becoming official.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
