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Credit: LucasfilmMark Hamill has officially landed the leading role in a new sequel, giving the longtime Star Wars star another major project under the Disney umbrella.
For decades, Hamill has been closely connected to Luke Skywalker, a character that has followed him across movies, television, and generations of fans. His latest Disney project, however, will take him in a very different direction.
Hamill is returning to Disney+ for a newly confirmed series, but this time he’ll appear in a brand-new way.
Mark Hamill Lands Leading Role
Disney has officially greenlit a new Darkwing Duck series, with Hamill taking over the voice of Drake Mallard, better known as Darkwing Duck.
The project has been a long time coming. Reports about a new Darkwing Duck series first surfaced in 2020, but Disney has now confirmed that the project is moving ahead.
Importantly, the new show won’t simply restart the story from the beginning.
Disney is positioning the new series as a sequel to the original Darkwing Duck. The original show produced 91 episodes, released in 1991 and 1992. More than three decades later, the series has maintained a dedicated following, setting the stage for Darkwing Duck’s return in a new continuation for Disney+.
The sequel will pick up with Darkwing in an unusual situation.
According to Disney’s description, Darkwing has spent the last 35 years stuck in an alternate world where nobody remembers his superhero adventures. His life changes when a rebellious teenager named Duckie arrives and knows exactly who he is.
Duckie pulls the attention-loving hero back into action, setting up another adventure with familiar enemies like Negaduck and Megavolt. Darkwing will also reconnect with Launchpad, Gosalyn, and Morgana as the group faces a threat to the universe.
Disney Makes a Major Change to the Classic
Hamill’s casting also confirms a significant departure from the original series.
Jim Cummings famously voiced Darkwing Duck in the 1990s show. More recently, Chris Diamantopoulos voiced the character in the 2017 DuckTales series.
Cummings had previously revealed that Disney planned to recast the role for the upcoming project. Disney has now confirmed Hamill as the new voice behind the masked hero.
While many viewers immediately associate Hamill with Luke Skywalker, voice acting has been a huge part of his career.
Most notably, Hamill became one of the best-known voices of the Joker through Batman: The Animated Series and projects including Batman: Arkham Asylum. His extensive voice credits also include Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Skips in Regular Show, and multiple characters in Metalocalypse.
That experience makes Darkwing Duck another major voice role for an actor whose career stretches far beyond Star Wars.
A New Cast Joins Mark Hamill
Hamill won’t be alone when Darkwing Duck makes its Disney+ debut.
Seth Rogen will voice Launchpad McQuack while also serving as a producer. Lizzy Caplan joins the cast as Gosalyn Mallard, while Lilimar voices Duckie.
The cast also features Dan Stevens as Glade McTowers, Tiffany Shepis as Rosa, Kathryn Newton as Firecracker, Teo Briones as Timb, Tyler Dean Flores as Pondsy, Katie Rich as Officer Shanks, and Nat Faxon as Officer Webb.
Sean Tretta and Borja Peña Gorostegui serve as executive producers. Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, and Gabby Grantham also executive produce for Point Grey Pictures.
Perhaps most importantly for longtime fans, original Darkwing Duck creator Tad Stones consulted during development.
Stones has expressed excitement about seeing the character return while praising the new team for combining bigger action and comedy with the emotional qualities associated with Disney storytelling. He also compared Darkwing’s potential for reinvention to legendary characters such as Robin Hood, Zorro, and Sherlock Holmes, whose stories have changed across generations while maintaining their core identities.
Mark Hamill Already Has a Major Disney+ Presence
Of course, Darkwing Duck won’t be the only place Disney+ subscribers can find Hamill.
The platform’s Star Wars collection contains the movies that made Luke Skywalker one of popular culture’s most recognizable heroes, allowing viewers to revisit Hamill’s journey through the original trilogy and his later return to the franchise.
Disney+ has also given fans a very different version of Luke.
Hamill appeared in the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” when Luke unexpectedly arrived to rescue Grogu and the others from Imperial forces.
For that appearance, technology helped present a younger version of Luke rather than Hamill as he looked at the time of production. The character later appeared again in The Book of Boba Fett, continuing Grogu’s storyline and giving Disney+ another connection to Hamill’s most famous role.
Now, Hamill is preparing to build an entirely different Disney+ legacy.
A Very Different Disney+ Return for Mark Hamill
There is still plenty Disney hasn’t revealed about the new Darkwing Duck, including exactly when the sequel will premiere.
What we do know is that Disney isn’t simply bringing back an old title. The company is continuing the original story, introducing a new generation of characters, and putting one of Hollywood’s most recognizable performers behind Darkwing himself.
For Hamill, it creates another fascinating chapter in a career already filled with iconic characters.
Disney+ viewers know him as Luke Skywalker. Animation fans know his unmistakable voice from decades of memorable performances. Soon, audiences will get to hear what happens when those talents meet Drake Mallard.
Darkwing Duck is getting dangerous again — and Mark Hamill will be the one behind the mask.
