Jim Cummings won't be headlining that Darkwing Duck reboot

“I did a pilot for [Darkwing Duck] several years ago, to see the viability of it coming back, and everybody went nuts,” Cummings said. “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.” 

The elusive “they” in this instance is presumably producers Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee, whose planned Duck reboot was announced in 2020, though official updates on the series have been sparse ever since. Regardless of who is making these casting decisions, it seems this latest DW development has brought out the inner Negaduck in Cummings, who went on to say, presumably glowering under a floppy red fedora, “I hope they get… everything they deserve. Crazy, I don’t know what to tell you.” 

His baleful response is reminiscent of a similar, albeit fictionalized, situation Cummings found himself in during the well-received DuckTales reboot’s season two episode, “The Duck Knight Returns!”, in which he voiced former Darkwing Duck actor “Jim Starling,” who attempts to ice his replacement, Drake Mallard, voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley, The Three Stooges). Recasting beloved characters for reboots is usually controversial among fans, raising questions about loyalty to the creatives who made these franchises what they are and to producers moving them into the future, a no-win situation for all involved until the reboot in question, along with its creative decisions, finally sees the light of day. With a little pluck and a more open mind, Cummings may yet find himself in a Darkwing Duck recording booth—perhaps not reprising his role as Tad Stones’ most enduring creation, but rather, this time, as the villain.