Jim Cummings Breaks Silence on Darkwing Duck Reboot: “They’re Hiring Somebody Else. I Hope They Get Everything They Deserve”
Nostalgia-driven reboots have become a defining trend in animation over the past decade, with beloved characters from decades past getting fresh chances at new audiences. Few of these revivals have carried quite as much emotional weight for longtime fans as the long-gestating return of ‘Darkwing Duck,’ the classic Disney superhero series that first took flight back in 1991.
Seth Rogen has been attached as executive producer on the Disney+ revival for years now, and updates on the project have trickled out slowly, often through the original cast rather than official studio announcements. Jim Cummings, who voiced the title character throughout the show’s original run, has remained one of the most consistent sources of insight into where the project actually stands.
That insight took a sharp turn recently, delivering news fans weren’t hoping to hear. Speaking with Collider on the red carpet for ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ Cummings confirmed that he will not be reprising his role as Darkwing Duck in the upcoming reboot series, despite having voiced the character for more than three decades.
“I did a pilot for it several years ago, to see the viability of it coming back, and everybody went nuts,” Cummings said, per Collider. “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. 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.”
The comments mark a stark shift from Cummings’ tone just months earlier, when he sounded genuinely optimistic about the project’s direction. Back in March, he described the character’s return as “long overdue,” noting that production was already underway on early material, saying at the time, “We’ve only recorded basically one offshoot so far.”
Cummings has voiced Darkwing Duck, also known as everyday citizen Drake Mallard, since the character’s debut, becoming one of Disney’s most recognizable voice talents in the process. Beyond Darkwing, Cummings has also lent his voice to Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Pete for decades, cementing his status as one of the studio’s most prolific and trusted performers.
The character briefly resurfaced during Disney’s 2017 ‘DuckTales’ reboot, where Cummings voiced Jim Starling, the fictional actor who originally played Darkwing Duck within that show’s continuity. That storyline eventually saw Drake Mallard, voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos, take up the mantle after Starling’s descent into villainy as Negaduck, offering a meta nod to the character’s legacy even without Cummings in the lead role.
Now, with the actual live revival reportedly moving forward under Rogen’s guidance, it appears Disney is opting for an entirely new voice cast rather than bringing back the actors most associated with the franchise’s original run. That decision is likely to spark discussion among longtime fans who grew up with Cummings’ performance defining the character for generations.
No further details have emerged yet about who might step into the role of Darkwing Duck, or when the series will officially premiere on Disney+.
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