Howard The Doc to explore the bird that brought Marvel to the big screen

1986's Howard The Duck is the subject of the new documentary, aiming to hit theaters this fall.

By Drew Gillis  |  May 14, 2025 | 3:39pm
Images courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment
Film News Howard the Duck
Howard The Doc to explore the bird that brought Marvel to the big screen

Before there was Jar Jar Binks, there was Howard the Duck. The anthropomorphic, animatronic Anatidae was brought to the screen, with the help of George Lucas and LucasFilm, in 1986 to become Marvel’s first theatrical feature. It fairly immediately became one of the biggest flops in Hollywood history. But just because the movie was bad doesn’t mean there isn’t a hell of a backstory to Howard The Duck, and the documentary Howard The Doc (Or: How I Learned to Start Quacking and Love the Bomb) aims to tell that story. 

Anchor Bay Entertainment announced today that it had acquired the doc for distribution, aiming to bring it to theaters, physical media, and streaming services later in 2025. Howard The Doc will feature new interviews with cast members Lea Thompson, Ed Gale (who performed Howard physically) and Jeffrey Jones. (For what it’s worth, Jones was added to the sex offender registry in the 2000s for soliciting nude photographs from a 14-year-old boy.) Phil Tippett, the visual effects supervisor for the original film and a contributor to the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, and Robocop will also add commentary to the doc. 

“Howard the Duck was Marvel’s first theatrical leap—long before the MCU changed the industry,” Anchor Bay CEO Thomas Zambeck says in a press statement. “This documentary is a fascinating look at the risks, the ridicule, and ultimately the redemption that helped shape modern fandom. That’s why Howard the Doc feels so essential—and why we’re proud to bring it to audiences.” Add director Ernesto Trinidad, “When I discovered there wasn’t a single documentary about one of the most unique comic book films ever made—or its fans—I knew this story had to be told. It’s a weird, wonderful part of cinema history that deserves the spotlight.”

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