The weirdest series in the Superman universe is taking shape: Mary Holland will join Jimmy Olsen

One of the most unusual spin-offs launched by James Gunn with Superman is expanding its cast.

According to sources from Deadline, Mary Holland will portray a character named Sandra in the Jimmy Olsen-centered series being developed for HBO Max. It has not yet been revealed who Sandra is or what her role will be in Jimmy's investigation. HBO Max and DC Studios have not made any official comments regarding the casting news.

Holland is particularly known for her performance in Ghosts and recently appeared in Netflix's new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie.

This time, Jimmy Olsen will be tracking crime cases instead of superheroes

The main element that distinguishes the series from other DC projects is its format rather than its cast.

In Superman, Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, will continue his journalism role at the Daily Planet, but the project is not designed as a traditional comic book series. Jimmy and other Daily Planet employees will investigate cases connected to supervillains in the DC universe.

The co-creator of the series, Dan Perrault, directly describes the project as a “crime mystery comedy”. Perrault states that he and Tony Yacenda want to apply the crime mystery and comedy tools they have used for years in a way that has rarely been seen in the superhero genre.

The duo's previous creation, American Vandal, also applied the narrative style of true-crime documentaries to entirely fictional and absurd crime cases.

The case of the first season: Gorilla Grodd

At the center of Jimmy Olsen's first major investigation will be not one of Superman's enemies, but Gorilla Grodd, a character primarily known from Flash stories.

The character, recognized for his extreme intelligence and mental powers, will be portrayed by American Vandal actor Jimmy Tatro. Tatro's casting reunites him with Yacenda and Perrault after many years.

While it has been confirmed that the first season will revolve around Grodd, the exact nature of the character's crime case has not been disclosed.

Therefore, rather than a giant gorilla fighting heroes in a classic manner, it is expected that the audience will see a “subject” of a crime documentary prepared by Jimmy Olsen.

The title of the series has not yet been finalized

The project was initially referred to as DC Crime, but James Gunn later clarified that this was not the official title of the series.

Dan Perrault also mentioned in March that the creative team is still working on different names. For this reason, it is important not to use the circulating titles DC Crime and subsequent working titles as the definitive series name.

What is certain is that Skyler Gisondo is returning as Jimmy Olsen, Gorilla Grodd will be at the center of the first season, and the American Vandal team is preparing the project.

The DC universe is entering a different television genre with each production

The Jimmy Olsen project also highlights an increasingly distinct approach from DC Studios under James Gunn and Peter Safran.

While the same universe is leaning towards adult animation with Creature Commandos, action-comedy with Peacemaker, police mystery with Lanterns, and body horror with Clayface, the Jimmy Olsen series is entering the realm of true-crime mockumentary.

For this reason, the production stands at a more interesting point than just being a classic spin-off that gives screen time to one of Superman's side characters. DC Studios is experimenting with entirely different film and television genres for each character while maintaining the same continuity.

It remains to be seen where Mary Holland's character Sandra will fit into this formula. However, the project that brings together Jimmy Olsen and Gorilla Grodd in a true-crime parody has already become one of the most unusual productions in the DC universe before filming has even started.