Disney+ has officially given the green light to a new Darkwing Duck Animated series with the voices of Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar.
The show, which first debuted in 1991, follows the adventures of Darkwing Duck, the iconic alter ego of Drake Mallard’s crime-fighting superhero.
Created by Tad Stones, the original show ran for a total of 91 episodes, with Jim Cummings voicing the title character. In the remake, Hamill will take on that role, with Rogen as Launchpad McQuack, Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard, and Lilimar (Inside out 2) like Duckie.
Also in the cast are Dan Stevens (Onslaught) as Glade McTowers, Tiffany Shepis (Journey to the stars: Picard) as Rosa, Kathryn Newton (Avengers: Judgment Day) as Petardo, Teo Briones (Final destiny lineages) 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 new version comes from Sean Tretta (Journey to the stars: Picard) and Borja Peña Goróstegui (Lost and crowned), who serve as executive producers. Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham produce for Point Gray Pictures. Stones consulted on the development of his new program.
The official tagline: “For the past 35 years, Darkwing Duck has been trapped in his worst nightmare: an alternate world that has never heard of his superhero exploits. Now, a rebellious teenager named Duckie who knows everything about his heroic past appears to lead this ego-driven vigilante back into battle. Together, this unlikely duo will turn dangerous to fight old enemies like Negaduck and Megavolt and reunite with their allies Launchpad, Gosalyn, and Morgana to save the entire universe.”
From left to right: Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar.
Courtesy of Disney+ (4)
“Disney said ‘Let’s be dangerous and we said ‘hell yeah,'” the Point Gray team said in a statement.
Stones added: “Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing turn dangerous again in an all-new series. The new creative team has certainly amped up the action and comedy without forgetting the Disney heart. This series places DW in the literary tradition of Robin Hood, Zorro and Sherlock Holmes, heroes whose story has been reinterpreted by multiple creators in multiple media. They explored the core of those characters by launching 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 attract attention.”
Produced by Disney Television Animation, the Emmy-nominated original film Darkwing Duck first premiered on Disney Channel, then aired on ABC and was in syndication starting in 1991. The ABC run concluded in 1993, with syndication ending in 1995. It had another syndication between 1996 and 1997. The show is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
The show also spawned video games (for the Nintendo NES and Game Boy) and appeared on Disney Afternoon. First issue full of fun! comic in November 1994. More recently, Darkwing Duck appeared in the latest version of duck tales.
News of the new program in development first emerged in 2020.
Point Gray Pictures, the production company founded by Rogen and Goldberg with their partner and president Weaver, recently produced a special installment for an event The Muppet Show for Disney+ to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. He went on to win four Emmy Awards. He is also behind the Emmy-winning films The Studio, The Boys and Invincible and the films Neighbors, This Is The End and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, among others. Upcoming projects include a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the dark comedy 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, and an untitled romantic comedy film for Amazon MGM Studios starring Cameron Diaz and Stephen Merchant.