Back in the early ’90s, I made it my personal mission to watch every single episode of Darkwing Duck. Blending elements of Batman, The Shadow, The Green Hornet, and James Bond, Darkwing is the ultimate superhero who goes quack in the night. If you were in trouble in St. Canard, you called DW, plain and simple. Rumors of a Disney reboot from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have swirled for years, leaving fans to wonder if the revival would ever see the light of day. What the project desperately needs to build authentic hype is original voice actor Jim Cummings, but unfortunately, his involvement isn’t in the cards.
The Terror That Flaps in the Night
Created by Tad Stones, Darkwing Duck serves as both a parody of and an homage to pulp-fiction heroes, classic comic books, and spy fiction. The series follows Drake Mallard (Cummings), an ordinary citizen who fights crime by night as the masked vigilante Darkwing Duck. While he’s a capable hero, he regularly enlists the aid of his sidekick, Launchpad McQuack, and his adopted daughter, Gosalyn. More often than not, Darkwing matches wits with his iconic rogues’ gallery, the Fearsome Five: NegaDuck, Bushroot, Megavolt, Quackerjack, and Liquidator.
According to Collider, original Darkwing Duck star Jim Cummings won’t be returning to voice the character in the new series. While speaking with Cummings on the red carpet for Coyote vs. Acme, Collider‘s Aidan Kelly asked the veteran voice actor about reprising his iconic role. Unfortunately, none of his words fills me with confidence about the project’s direction.
Recasting the Masked Vigilante
“I did a pilot for it several years ago, to see the viability of it coming back, and everybody went nuts,” Cummings explained. “And they are bringing it back, and they’re hiring somebody else to do Terry McGovern’s role of Launchpad, and they’re hiring somebody else to be Darkwing Duck. I hope they get… everything they deserve. Crazy, I don’t know what to tell you.”
A Slap in the Face to Legacy Fans
Ugh! Developments like this are why we can’t have nice things. Why would Disney reboot Darkwing Duck and refuse to bring back the original voice actors for two of its flagship characters when both performers are still alive and well? While recasting Gosalyn Mallard makes sense following the tragic passing of Christine Cavanaugh in 2014, snubbing Cummings and Terry McGovern (Launchpad McQuack) feels like a total slap in the face to legacy fans.
What do you think about Disney rebooting Darkwing Duck without its original cast? Should the studio offer Cummings and McGovern their roles back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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