A classic superhero is no longer a sitting duck. Disney+ has greenlit a new Darkwing Duck animated series, breathing new life into Drake Mallard as the titular crime fighter, with Seth Rogen and Mark Hamill leading the cast.
The pair will voice Launchpad McQuack and Drake, respectively, joining Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls) as Gosalyn Mallard and Lilimar (Inside Out 2) as Duckie. Also on the call sheet 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.
Hailing from and written by Sean Tretta (Star Trek: Picard) and Borja Peña Gorostegui (Lost & Crowned), this new iteration is pitched as an action-packed follow-up to the franchise. Both serve as executive producers, while Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham are producing the project, which has the following logline:
“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.”
Original creator Tad Stones consulted on the development process, and no release date was given. The Emmy-nominated show first premiered on Disney Channel, then aired on ABC, and ran for 91 episodes, starring Jim Cummings as Darkwing Duck, Christine Cavanaugh as Gosalyn, and Terry McGovern as Launchpad. The character also appeared in NES and Game Boy games and, most recently, was featured in the latest iteration of DuckTales.
“Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole 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 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,” said Stones.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
HSALS
