Darkwing Duck Revival Receives Series Order for Disney+, Mark Hamill Leads All-Star Cast

Star Wars and Batman: The Animated Series veteran Mark Hamill will now give voice to the terror that flaps in the night. Just announced by Disney+, a new Darkwing Duck animated series received the series green light by the streamer.

The new series marks the return of Drake Mallard, aka the crime fighter Darkwing Duck, in what’s described as an “action-packed continuation of the beloved franchise.” Based on the description in the press release, the new series appears to be a “continuation” or revival of the original series rather than a full-on reboot.

The new series comes from executive producers Sean Tretta and Borja Peña Gorostegui. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, and Gabby Grantham are also executive producing the show for Point Grey Pictures. Tad Stones, who created the 1991 original animated series, is serving as a consultant for development of the new project.

Although this is a series revival, the new series will feature an entirely new voice-over cast. As mentioned above, Hamill voices Mallard/Darkwing in the continuation, replacing Jim Cummings from the original series. Rogen now voices Launchpad McQuack, replacing Terry McGovern. Lizzy Caplan voices Darkwing’s daughter, Gosalyn Mallard. Other cast members include Lilimar as Duckie, Dan Stevens as Glade McTowers, Tiffany Shepis as Rosa, Kathryn Newton as Firecracker, Teo Briones as Timb, Tyler Dean Flores as Pondsy, Katie Rich as Officer Shanks, and Nat Faxon as Officer Webb.

The Darkwing Duck characters did appear in the 2017 reboot of DuckTales, which introduced Darkwing as a fictional in-universe television show, with Cummings appearing as the “original” Darkwing, Jim Starling, who later becomes Darkwing’s archenemy, “Negaduck.”

Chris Diamantopoulos voiced Drake Mallard, an actor originally cast to portray Darkwing in a new reboot. However, he eventually decides to take on the mantle of Darkwing and becomes a crime fighter. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer also appeared in the series, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, while Launchpad was voiced by Beck Bennett.

Per the press release, the new series finds Darkwing Duck trapped in an alternate world for the last 35 years, one that’s never heard of his superhero exploits. A rebellious teen named Duckie, who knows all about his past exploits, arrives to pull Darkwing back to the fight for justice.

The press release adds, “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 press release doesn’t mention who will be voicing the returning legacy characters.

The Point Grey team commented on the announcement:

“Disney said ‘Let’s get dangerous and we said, ‘Hell yeah!’ Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole new series,” said Tad Stones. 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 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.”

The 1991 series was produced by Disney Television Animation, premiering on the Disney Channel and later airing on ABC and in syndication, with 91 episodes being produced. It ended its run on ABC in 1993, with the syndication run wrapping up in 1995.

The new animated revival will stream on Disney+. The 1991 original series is also available to stream now the streamer+.