Nostalgia for the 1990s is in full force these days, with all manner of intellectual properties resurfacing in new forms. One such project that’s been in development for some time is a revival of the classic Disney animated superhero series Darkwing Duck. Now, original Darkwing Duck star Jim Cummings has an update on the project that might elicit mixed reactions from the show’s fans. Collider‘s Aidan Kelley caught up with Cummings on the red carpet for Coyote vs. Acme.
Debuting in syndication in 1991, Darkwing Duck starred Cummings as Drake Mallard, a citizen of St. Canard who fights injustice by night as the costumed Darkwing Duck, a loose parody of the classic pulp character The Shadow. Without any superpowers of his own, Darkwing relied on his wits, his array of gadgets, and his trusty sidekick/pilot, Launchpad McQuack (Terry McGovern), formerly of the earlier series DuckTales. The series ran for three seasons and 91 episodes before ending. Darkwing Duck returned in the 2017 reboot of DuckTales as a show watched by the characters in that show; Cummings appeared as Jim Starling, the actor who played Darkwing. Starling eventually went insane and tried to kill the actor, Drake Mallard (Chris Diamantopoulos), who replaced him in a new reboot of the series; Mallard went on to become the real Darkwing, while Starling became his nemesis, Negaduck.
Disney had planned to spin off the character into a new rebooted series; it was first announced in 2020, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg attached, but has yet to resurface. There have been conflicting reports of Cummings‘ involvement in the reboot, but it seems that as of now, he won’t be playing the lead:
“I did a pilot for it several years ago, to see the viability of it coming back, and everybody went nuts. 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.”
Whether or not he’ll return to Darkwing Duck (either as the titular protagonist or as Negaduck) has yet to be seen, but Cummings can be heard as the Tasmanian Devil, a role he’s played since 1991, in Coyote vs. Acme, which hits theaters this weekend.
What Is ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ About?
In Coyote vs. Acme, Wile E. Coyote finally attempts to get compensation from the Acme Corporation after decades of suffering at the hands of their shoddy products while attempting to capture the Road Runner. In his corner is Kevin Avery (Will Forte), his lawyer, and Paige (Lana Condor), Kevin’s niece; against him is the full might of the Acme Corporation, including star lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena). After a lengthy development process, which included a near write-off of the entire film by Warner Bros., it will hit theaters today, August 28.
via Collider