Darkwing Duck Reboot Coming to Disney+
Mark Hamill and Seth Rogen to star
Star Wars and Batman: The Animated Series veteran Mark Hamill is going to get dangerous.
Disney+ yesterday revealed that they are developing a new version of Darkwing Duck, the beloved ‘90s animated series created by Tad Stones. In the new show, Hamill will star as Darkwing Duck while Invincible’s Seth Rogen will voice Launchpad McQuack, and Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures are on board as producers.
“Disney said ‘Let’s get dangerous and we said ‘hell yeah,’” the Point Grey team said in a statement.
“Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole new series,” said original series creator Tad Stones. “The new creative team has certainly amped up the action and comedy without forgetting the Disney heart. This series places [Darkwing] in the literary tradition of Robin Hood, Zorro, and Sherlock Holmes, heroes whose lore has been reinterpreted by multiple creators in multiple mediums. They explored the core of those characters by tossing them into new eras, new relationships, and even new universes. No matter when or where, Darkwing Duck will appear in a cloud of blue smoke to grab the spotlight.”
Per a statement by Disney+, here’s a synopsis for the new series:
For the last 35 years, Darkwing Duck has been trapped in his worst nightmare: an alternate world that’s never heard of his superhero exploits. Now a rebellious teen named Duckie who knows all about his heroic past shows up to pull this ego-fueled vigilante back into battle. Together, this unlikely duo will get dangerous to fight old enemies like Negaduck and Megavolt and reunite with allies Launchpad, Gosalyn and Morgana to save the entire universe.
The reboot does not appear to be tied to the 2017 DuckTales reboot, which featured a version of Darkwing Duck. That acclaimed revival ran for three seasons on DisneyXD, and around the time it ended, the DuckTales showrunners reportedly pitched a Darkwing Duck spinoff, but it didn’t materialize.
DuckTales producers Matt Youngberg and Suzanna Olson don’t appear to be involved in the reboot, confirming prior reports that the DuckTales spinoff was rejected in favor of an unrelated revival series. Sean Tretta (Star Trek: Picard) and Borja Peña Gorostegui (Lost & Crowned) both serve as executive producers. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham are producing for Point Grey Pictures.
The lead cast includes Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham Asylum) as Drake Mallard aka Darkwing Duck, Seth Rogen (The Muppet Show) as Launchpad McQuack, Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) as Gosalyn Mallard, Lilimar (Inside Out 2) as Duckie, Dan Stevens (Onslaught, Legion) as Glade McTowers, Tiffany Shepis (Star Trek: Picard) as Rosa, Kathryn Newton (Avengers: Doomsday) as Firecracker, Teo Briones (Final Destination Bloodlines) as Timb, Tyler Dean Flores (Neon) as Pondsy, Katie Rich (Saturday Night Live) as Officer Shanks, and Nat Faxon (The Descendants) as Officer Webb.
The series’ original star, Jim Cummings, has not yet commented on being recast. The 73-years-old maintains a good relationship with Disney, having served as the official voice of Pooh and Tigger for more than 30 years. Cummings has implied support for Donald Trump, and there were troubling allegations of abuse attached to his divorce, although in 2019, Cummings was granted custody of his children, suggesting those allegations didn’t trouble the court.
