First making its Disney Channel debut in 1991, “Darkwing Duck” proved to be a hit with animation fans.
Now, more than three decades later, the web-footed crimefighter is making a comeback courtesy of none other than Seth Rogen and his Point Grey Pictures production company.
The Return of ‘Darkwing Duck’
Disney+The beloved series followed the exploits of the titular Darkwing Duck, the superhero alter ego of Drake Mallard.
The series has gone on to become a Disney cult classic, with Jim Cummings originally providing the voice of the character.
In this new iteration, Darkwing Duck will be voiced by Mark Hamill.
The “Star Wars” icon heads an all-star voice cast that includes Rogen as Launchpad McQuack, Lizzy Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard and Lilimar (“Inside Out 2”) as Duckie.
Other voice talent tapped for the revival are Dan Stevens (“Onslaught”) 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.
“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,” reads the new series’ official logline. “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.”
‘Let’s Get Dangerous’
“Disney said, ‘Let’s get dangerous,’ and we said, ‘hell yeah,’” said Rogen and his Point Grey team 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,” added Tad Stones, who created the original series and returns for the new iteration.
“The new creative team has certainly amped up the action and comedy without forgetting the Disney heart,” Stones added. “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.”
A Cult Classic
Produced by Disney Television Animation, the Emmy-nominated “Darkwing Duck” series was created by Tad Stones, and ran for 91 episodes.
The series originally premiered on Disney Channel, then on ABC and in syndication starting in 1991.
The ABC run concluded in 1993, while the syndication run didn’t end until in 1995. “Darkwing Duck” then made a brief return to syndication from 1996 to 1997.
“Beyond television, the series made a significant impact in the world of video games, with the release of Darkwing Duck’ for the Nintendo NES (1992) and Game Boy (1993),” the Disney+ press release adds. “The character also made his mark in the Disney Afternoon ‘Fun-Filled 1st Issue!’ comic book in November 1994, appearing alongside other beloved Disney characters like Bonkers, the Goof Troop and TaleSpin in Volume 1, No. 1. In recent years, the iconic character has appeared in the latest iteration of ‘DuckTales.’ The original series, ‘Darkwing Duck,’ is streaming now on Disney+.”
