After 35 years in the shadows, Darkwing Duck is back, and this time an Indian animation studio is helping bring his next chapter to life. 88 Pictures founder and CEO Milind D Shinde announced on LinkedIn that 88 Pictures has joined Disney+’s new Darkwing Duck series, marking a full-circle moment for a studio now working on a character many grew up watching.
Bringing back Drake Mallard as the caped crime fighter. The announcement shared that animating the next chapter of the 1990s favourite feels like a true full-circle moment for many of its team members.
And yes, the catchphrase is back too. Let’s get dangerous!, a line that has been stuck in fans’ heads since the ’90s, is officially back on the job description.
The new series comes from Sean Tretta, and Borja Peña Gorostegui, who serve as executive producers. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham produce for Point Grey Pictures, an independent film and television production company. Tad Stones, creator of the original Darkwing Duck, has consulted on the development of the new adventures.
The story picks up with Darkwing trapped for 35 years in an alternate world where nobody has heard of his superhero exploits. Enter Duckie, a rebellious teenager who knows all about his heroic past and drags the ego-fuelled vigilante back into action.
The unlikely duo soon find themselves taking on old foes including Negaduck and Megavolt, while reuniting with familiar allies Launchpad, Gosalyn and Morgana. Their mission? Save the entire universe because apparently stopping petty crime was not dangerous enough.
The voice cast brings some serious star power. Mark Hamill voices Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck, while Rogen voices Launchpad McQuack. Lizzy Caplan plays Gosalyn Mallard, and Lilimar voices Duckie. The cast also includes 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.
Stones shared, “Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole new series.” He added that the new creative team has ramped up the action and comedy while retaining the Disney heart.
He also sees Darkwing as part of a larger tradition of iconic heroes such as Robin Hood, Zorro and Sherlock Holmes characters whose stories have been repeatedly reimagined across eras, relationships and even universes.
The original Darkwing Duck, produced by Disney Television Animation, ran for 91 episodes, premiering on Disney channel before moving to American Broadcasting Company (ABC), a major U.S. commercial television network fully owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, and syndication in 1991. Its ABC run ended in 1993, while its original syndication run concluded in 1995, followed by a brief return from 1996 to 1997.
The caped duck also flew into gaming, with Darkwing Duck titles released for the Nintendo NES, an 8-bit home video game console created by Nintendo in 1992 and Game Boy, a popular 8-bit handheld electronic video game console in 1993. He later appeared in Disney Afternoon comics and, more recently, in the latest iteration of DuckTales.
The original Darkwing Duck is currently streaming on Disney+, giving fans plenty of time to revisit the old adventures before the new ones arrive.
