Superman's pal will be a part of the new DC Universe. In response to a fan on Twitter, James Gunn tweeted that Jimmy Olsen would appear his upcoming film Superman: Legacy. The film went into pre-production earlier this week. It is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025.
Although Superman/Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Perry White appeared in the DC Extended Universe, Jimmy Olsen did not have a big role in the series. In the beginning of director Zack Snyder's 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lois (Amy Adams) was accompanied to an interview by an undercover CIA agent, played by Michael Cassidy. In the Ultimate Cut version of the film, it was revealed that the character was named Jimmy Olsen, who was then killed when his cover was blown.
Jimmy Olsen has been a major character in most adaptations of Superman. He generally works alongside Clark and Lois as a photographer for the Daily Planet. Jimmy was one of the main characters of the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman, where he was played by Jack Larson. In the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Jimmy was played by Marc McClure. McClure also reprised the role in the 1984 spin-off film Supergirl, which starred Helen Slater as the Girl of Steel. Aaron Ashmore played Jimmy Olsen in Seasons 6-8 of Smallville, before the character was killed by Doomsday/Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer). However, it was revealed that Ashmore's character was actually Henry James Olsen. The Smallville series finale showed that Henry's younger brother was the actual Jimmy Olsen who works at the Daily Planet with Clark and Lois. Mehcad Brooks played the character in the Arrowverse series Supergirl. In the series, the character went by James Olsen, and left Metropolis to get out of Superman's (Tyler Hoechlin) shadow. Throughout the series, James was a friend and mentor to Supergirl/Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist).
Superman: Legacy Will Be the First Film of the New DCU
Gunn was announced as the co-CEO of DC Studios with Peter Safran in October. In December, he announced that he would write the screenplay for Superman: Legacy. The film will focus on a younger version of Superman/Clark Kent. Gunn also said it would be a new version of the character, instead of the DCEU version played by Henry Cavill. In March, it was confirmed that Gunn himself would direct the film. Superman: Legacy will be the first film in Gunn and Safran's new DC Universe. Gunn has also shared that Superman: Legacy will be inspired by the 2005-2008 comic book series All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. The story was previously adapted into a 2011 animated film.
Superman: Legacy is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025. The 1978-1987 Superman films, which starred McClure as Jimmy Olsen, are currently available to stream on HBO Max. In the meantime, check out this Collider interview with Gunn on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the recent holiday special below: