The Darkwing Duck reboot is finally moving forward and this Star Wars actor is set to helm it

Millennials, rejoice, because the long-awaited Darkwing Duck reboot is finally in production. Disney announced the reboot of the beloved animated action-adventure comedy was in the works in 2020, but it never came to pass, so Disney’s recent confirmation and new casting news are incredibly exciting. Also exciting: Tad Stones, creator of the original ‘90s show, consulted on the reboot.

There’s tons of casting news, as Mark Hamill has been cast as Darkwing Duck and Seth Rogen as Launchpad McQuack. Rounding out the cast is Nat Faxon as Officer Webb, Katie Rich as Officer Shanks, Lizzy Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard, Tyler Dean Flores as Pondsy, Lilimar as Duckie, Teo Briones as Timb, Dan Stevens as Glad McTowers, Kathryn Newton as Firecracker, and Tiffany Shepis as Rosa.

The original ‘Darkwing Duck’ was a breakout hit

The original Darkwing Duck ran from 1991–1992 on Disney’s Afternoon block and on ABC on Saturday mornings, and it was among the best of ‘90s cartoons. It followed Drake Mallard, an ordinary suburban duck, and his superhero alter-ego, Darkwing Duck.

Darkwing lived with his adopted daughter, Gosalyn, next door to the Muddlefoot family, who tended to be dim-witted. As Darkwing, he was helped out by his sidekick, the pilot Launchpad McQuack. Throughout the show, Darkwing fought to balance two sides of himself—the side that wanted to do good in his town and be a good father, and the side that craved attention and fame. Of course, he also battled multiple villains while doing everything else.

Darkwing Duck was the first show on Disney to really lean into action rather than adventure. Mostly, it did this through slapstick villain battles that showcased humor, not true fight scenes. It was also the first Disney property to be a genre parody, as it parodied super-spy fiction, superheroes, and pulp fiction. Darkwing himself was a parody of heroes like The Shadow and Batman.

The reboot appears to be a sequel rather than a remake

The description of the Darkwing Duck reboot makes it seem like a sequel rather than a pure remake. In the new version, Darkwing has been trapped in an alternate universe for the past 35 years. The worst part of this is that no one in this world has heard of his superhero exploits. However, a teen named Duckie, who knows a lot about Darkwing’s past, shows up to drag the former superhero back into the fight between good and evil. Along the way, they’ll reunite with old allies like Launchpad while also fighting classic villains such as Megavolt.

According to Deadline, Stones explained, “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 […] No matter when or where, Darkwing Duck will appear in a cloud of blue smoke to grab the spotlight.”

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