Jim Cummings Reportedly Removed From Iconic Disney Role as Recast Begins

Few Disney voice actors are as closely associated with their characters as Jim Cummings.

For more than four decades, Cummings has built one of the company’s most recognizable voice-acting résumés. His Disney credits span Winnie the Pooh, Pete, Bonkers, Monterey Jack, Fat Cat, Ray in The Princess and the Frog, and multiple characters across animation, film, television, and theme park projects.

Darkwing Duck sits particularly high on that list. Cummings originated the voice of Drake Mallard when Darkwing Duck debuted in 1991, ultimately carrying the character through the original series and numerous later Disney appearances.

The character has also remained surprisingly active in recent years. Darkwing appeared in Disney’s 2017 DuckTales reboot, while Cummings returned to voice his original version of the character in Chibiverse as recently as 2025.

Behind the scenes, however, Disney has been attempting something much bigger.

Disney’s Darkwing Duck Revival Is Moving Forward Without Jim Cummings

A new Darkwing Duck project has been in development for years, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures attached. Details have remained scarce, but Cummings previously spoke publicly as though he was directly involved.

Now, that apparently is no longer the case.

Speaking to Collider at the Coyote vs. Acme premiere, Cummings revealed that he recorded a pilot “several years ago” and said the response to the project had been enthusiastic.

Despite that, he says the production is replacing him.

“They’re hiring somebody else to be Darkwing Duck,” Cummings said.

According to Cummings, original Launchpad McQuack voice actor Terry McGovern is also being replaced. Disney has not announced who will take over either role.

The studio has similarly yet to formally reveal the revival’s complete cast, release date, or even where audiences will eventually be able to watch it.

That makes the development especially surprising considering how Cummings had described the project over the past year.

At San Diego Comic-Con in 2025, Cummings suggested that the revival would not simply restart Darkwing’s story. Instead, he described an older Drake Mallard alongside a grown-up Gosalyn.

Cummings compared the idea to an older Batman returning to crime-fighting after years away, positioning the project more like a continuation of the 1991 series than a completely disconnected reboot.

His comments continued into 2026.

At the Saturn Awards, Cummings told ScreenRant that “we’ve only recorded basically one offshoot so far” while again discussing Gosalyn being older in the new story.

Those comments suggest Cummings was involved relatively deep into the project’s development, although neither Disney nor Point Grey Pictures has explained when or why the casting plans changed.

There is also no announced replacement for Cummings at this time.

Cummings Is Still Working With Disney Despite Darkwing Duck Recast

The recasting arrives during a complicated period in Cummings’ relationship with Disney.

Earlier this month, the actor publicly addressed his continued absence from the Disney Legends program, writing: “40+ years. 1500+ characters. The voice of generations. No comment.”

His comments received support from some Disney fans who argued that his decades of work warranted recognition.

Others responded by resurfacing allegations of sexual and emotional abuse made by Cummings’ ex-wife during a 2019 custody dispute. Cummings denied the allegations, describing them as false and baseless.

Disney has never publicly said those allegations played any role in Cummings’ Disney Legends status, his relationship with the company, or the decision to recast Darkwing Duck. Any direct connection between the issues would therefore be speculation.

Cummings’ wider Disney career also appears to be continuing.

Although Disney previously recast Winnie the Pooh for Playdate with Winnie the Pooh, Cummings continued voicing longtime character Pete in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ through 2026.

He also recently returned as the Cheshire Cat in LEGO Disney Princess: Magical Mayhem.

Beyond those roles, Cummings has voiced Star Wars pirate Hondo Ohnaka and famously performed portions of Scar’s “Be Prepared” in Disney’s 1994 The Lion King, matching Jeremy Irons during parts of the finished musical sequence.

His Disney career dates back to 1985 and includes hundreds of performances across the company’s franchises.

That makes the latest development less of a complete separation between Cummings and Disney than the removal of the actor from one particularly significant part of his career.

For decades, Darkwing Duck and Cummings were essentially inseparable. If the revival finally makes it to screens, audiences will apparently hear someone else declare themselves the terror that flaps in the night.

What do you think of Disney’s decision to axe Jim Cummings as Darkwing Duck?