Mehcad Brooks To Play Jimmy Olsen In Supergirl
African American actor Mehcad Brooks will play Jimmy Olsen in Supergirl's TV series.
Despite the fact that there was an Easter Egg in Man of Steel which teased possible big screen plans for Supergirl, the DC Comics character will next be seen on the small screen in her own TV series. Glee and Whiplash actress Melissa Benoist will be playing her, and the next casting major addition to the pilot has now been made. That will be Desperate Housewives and True Blood star Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen, The Daily Planet photographer who is best friends with Clark Kent and a keen admirer of Superman. That's the comic book version of the character however, and the Supergirl one is described as a "smart, worldly photographer for CatCo, the media company where Kara works. He has recently been living and working in National City, though the reason is still a secret, and his salt-of-the-earth nature quickly piques Karas interest." That means no Daily Planet and no Metropolis then! It's still not clear what kind of role (if any) Superman will play in the series, but this is obviously a very different interpretation of Jimmy Olsen. That's also evident from the fact that a hunky African American actor has been cast in the role, a huge departure from the Jimmy from the comic books. This isn't the first time DC Comics have changed the race of a well-known character as both The Flash's Iris West and Man of Steel's Perry White underwent similar alterations. The pilot was penned by Ali Alder (No Ordinary Family) and Greg Berlanti (Arrow), and they will both executive produce alongside Sarah Schechter and Warner Bros. TV.