‘Darkwing Duck’ Revived at Disney+ Starring Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar

Disney+ has officially greenlit a new Darkwing Duck animated series featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar.

The show, which first debuted in 1991, follows the adventures of Darkwing Duck, the iconic crime-fighting superhero alter ego of Drake Mallard.

Created by Tad Stones, the original show ran for a total of 91 episodes, with Jim Cummings voicing the title character. In the new iteration, Hamill will take on that role, with Rogen as Launchpad McQuack, Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard and Lilimar (Inside Out 2) as Duckie.

Also in the cast 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.

The new iteration hails from Sean Tretta (Star Trek: Picard) and Borja Peña Gorostegui (Lost & Crowned), who both serve as executive producers. Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham are producing for Point Grey Pictures. Stones consulted on the development of his new show.

The official 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.”

“Disney said ‘Let’s get dangerous and we said ‘hell yeah,’” the Point Grey team said in a statement.

Added Stones: “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.”

Produced by Disney Television Animation, the Emmy-nominated original Darkwing Duck first premiered on Disney Channel, then aired on ABC and in syndication beginning in 1991. The ABC run concluded in 1993, with the syndication run wrapping up in 1995. It had another syndication run from 1996-97. The show is currently available for streaming on Disney+.

The show also spawned video games (for Nintendo NES and Game Boy) and appeared in the Disney Afternoon Fun-Filled 1st Issue! comic book in November 1994. More Recently, Darkwing Duck has appeared in the latest iteration of DuckTales.

News of the new show being put into development first surfaced in 2020.

Point Grey Pictures, the production company founded by Rogen and Goldberg founded with partner and president Weaver, recently produced a special-event installment of The Muppet Show for Disney+ to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. It went on to win four Emmys. It’s also behind the Emmy-winning 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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem sequel, dark comedy 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank and an untitled romantic comedy movie for Amazon MGM Studios starring Cameron Diaz and Stephen Merchant.