Disney+ has officially greenlit a new Darkwing Duck animated series featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar.
The show, which first debuted in 1991, follows the adventures of Darkwing Duck, the iconic crime-fighting superhero alter ego of Drake Mallard.
Created by Tad Stones, the original show ran for a total of 91 episodes, with Jim Cummings voicing the title character. In the new iteration, Hamill will take on that role, with Rogen as Launchpad McQuack, Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard and Lilimar (Inside Out 2) as Duckie.
Also in the cast are Dan Stevens (Onslaught) as Glade McTowers, Tiffany Shepis (Star Trek: Picard) as Rosa, Kathryn Newton (Avengers: Doomsday) as Firecracker, Teo Briones (Final Destination Bloodlines) as Timb, Tyler Dean Flores (Neon) as Pondsy, Katie Rich (Saturday Night Live) as Officer Shanks and Nat Faxon (The Descendants) as Officer Webb.
The new iteration hails from Sean Tretta (Star Trek: Picard) and Borja Peña Gorostegui (Lost & Crowned), who both serve as executive producers. Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee and Gabby Grantham are producing for Point Grey Pictures. Stones consulted on the development of his new show.
The official logline: “For the last 35 years, Darkwing Duck has been trapped in his worst nightmare: an alternate world that’s never heard of his superhero exploits. Now a rebellious teen named Duckie who knows all about his heroic past shows up to pull this ego-fueled vigilante back into battle. Together, this unlikely duo will get dangerous to fight old enemies like Negaduck and Megavolt and reunite with allies Launchpad, Gosalyn and Morgana to save the entire universe.”
“Disney said ‘Let’s get dangerous and we said ‘hell yeah,’” the Point Grey team said in a statement.
Added Stones: “Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole new series. The new creative team has certainly amped up the action and comedy without forgetting the Disney heart. This series places DW in the literary tradition of Robin Hood, Zorro, and Sherlock Holmes, heroes whose lore has been reinterpreted by multiple creators in multiple mediums. They explored the core of those characters by tossing them into new eras, new relationships, and even new universes. No matter when or where, Darkwing Duck will appear in a cloud of blue smoke to grab the spotlight.”
Produced by Disney Television Animation, the Emmy-nominated original Darkwing Duck first premiered on Disney Channel, then aired on ABC and in syndication beginning in 1991. The ABC run concluded in 1993, with the syndication run wrapping up in 1995. It had another syndication run from 1996-97. The show is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
The show also spawned video games (for Nintendo NES and Game Boy) and appeared in the Disney Afternoon Fun-Filled 1st Issue! comic book in November 1994. More Recently, Darkwing Duck has appeared in the latest iteration of DuckTales.
News of the new show being put into development first surfaced in 2020.
Point Grey Pictures, the production company founded by Rogen and Goldberg founded with partner and president Weaver, recently produced a special-event installment of The Muppet Show for Disney+ to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. It went on to win four Emmys. It’s also behind the Emmy-winning The Studio, The Boys and Invincible and the films Neighbors, This Is The End and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, among others. Upcoming projects include a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem sequel, dark comedy 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank and an untitled romantic comedy movie for Amazon MGM Studios starring Cameron Diaz and Stephen Merchant.

The general mood on both sides of the Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance aisles on Monday was shock and surprise over the sudden turn of events. And now that Paramount-WB merger has the all-clear signal, staffers are gearing up for what are expected to be multiple rounds of layoffs in the next few months.
On Sunday, it appeared that the pushback against the state attorneys general to quickly settle was gaining strength. By the evening, with the Yom Kippur holiday looming, there was a sense that no deal was imminent.
So Monday’s announcement of the settlement between Paramount and the 12 state AGs was met with some disbelief — and a feeling by insiders at both companies that the states ultimately didn’t succeed in demanding much from Paramount Skydance, despite all their posturing. And, according to staffers on both sides, whether the reality of a merged Paramount-Warner Bros. has produced relief or anxiety “depends on where you sit.”
“Everybody just wants to know what’s coming,” said an exec.
SoCal-based staffers breathed a little easier after Paramount chief David Ellison’s affirmed that the company will remain in California, after weeks of uncertainty and saber-rattling — sources familiar with the situation had asserted the CEO was serious about pulling up stakes if the WBD deal didn’t close by the end of September. “We aren’t going anywhere. Our history is here and this is where our future is being built,” Ellison said in a statement.
But one source told Variety that people were “pissed and disappointed” with the AGs and not confident in the concessions that they received, and don’t see much value in them or an ability to manage those deal points.
“Why did they give in?” one insider said. “I think people are still very confused about that.”
Even execs inside Paramount were stunned — perhaps pleasantly, but they too weren’t quite sure why the AGs spent so little time focusing on television, despite it being the lion’s share of the business.
“Where was TV?” asked one exec. After all, there wasn’t a single mention in the 12-state antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the merger of what it means to now bring together Warner Bros. TV (which currently produces around 80 series) and CBS Studios (around 60 series). And that doesn’t even include other production entities, like HBO’s massive in-house unit and Paramount TV Studios.
The small nod to cable TV also surprised observers, especially since California Attorney General Rob Bonta had made such noise about needing to see some actionable example of a concession. Instead, the agreement didn’t even pay lip service by forcing the merged entity to get rid of any of its little-watched zombie channels. Instead, those channels (which don’t provide much value anyway, and could easily just be shut down) would only be on the chopping block as punishment down the line.
With no divestitures, a promise of additional production that had already been made and a tough-to-enforce news independence board, critics of the plan didn’t see much meat to the agreement.
Now, the clock resets to just about two weeks before the deal closes — and people who had been concerned by how quickly Paramount had been racing to close the merger are once again distressed at the speed. Of course, a lot of work had been done in the background over recent months, including meetings between groups to figure out workstream, so the new structure of the company should be forthcoming.
For some execs and staffers, clarity at least takes away some distractions from the day-to-day work of fall TV launches and film releases. And there was a sense that some of the most prominent execs in the combined company, including HBO boss Casey Bloys, have been given an assurance that their standing is secure.
But the most immediate question now comes down to layoffs: How many jobs will be axed and how soon. Ellison wrote in a companywide memo Monday that he expects the Warner Bros. merger to close within two weeks. That doesn’t give the combined company much time to pull off its first round of layoffs before the holidays.
“There will be a race to get this done in the fourth quarter,” said one exec, noting that the job cuts would likely be just the first round, as it would be impossible to accomplish the level of expected layoffs all in one swoop. Said another: “I don’t see a world where they’re not laying off a bunch of people before the end of the year. I think there are many people in the industry who don’t even understand the toll it’s going to take.”
RELATED: What’s in the Paramount Settlement With States: Commitment to Not Sell Studio Lots, Additional $300M Yearly Investment in U.S. Film Production, CNN Oversight and More
The threat of layoffs and downsizing was only marginally addressed in the consent decree. Under the terms, the new company must honor collective bargaining agreements and commit $47.5 million to a “workforce fund” over five years for training and career development for employees who are laid off. Separately, Paramount reached a settlement with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) with an agreement prohibiting layoffs at CBS News for five years.
Despite Bonta’s long-running demand for meaningful structural changes, ultimately no requirements for divestitures were included.
Bonta, at his press conference Monday in downtown L.A. announcing the Paramount consent decree, the attorney general suggested that the settlement was “not a vote of support for this merger.” And yet he has now allowed it to proceed.
“It will be interesting to see the reaction to Bonta,” said one exec. “I don’t think he helped his career any.”

Just when staffers at CNN thought the news giant’s path to the future was becoming more clear, new fog has set in.
In recent weeks, the Warner Bros. Discovery outlet appeared to have found its groove. Yes, its linear ratings are down noticeably from the era when it won notice for its aggressive coverage of President Trump’s first term, and there’s serious questions about whether they will ever come back. But the company appeared to be making some gains with digital audiences with its recently launched “CNN All Access” subscription service, where CNN has been testing new programming formats. On the traditional side, despite the viewership challenges, CNN has seen personnel like Abby Phillip and Harry Enten gain some traction. Warner Bros. Discovery projected in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year that CNN will generate $600 million in profit in 2026 on $1.8 billion in revenue.
Now all its recent work could be for naught.
A new corporate parent, Paramount Skydance is set to take the reins of CNN in October, and with that change of control could come entirely new goals — and means of executing them.
Even Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN, seemed to not know much about next steps. “Over the coming days you’ll hear much more about what this means for CNN, including the date of the close,” he told staffers Monday.
The mood at CNN is “like a funeral,” says one person familiar with the operation.
CNN personnel have reason to worry. Paramount’s management of CBS News has been controversial, and has not been good for the business of the news unit. Changes made under Bari Weiss, installed last year as editor in chief, have brought unnecessary scrutiny to news reports, and anchors have made public entreaties on Instagram when people post notes suggesting that Weiss’ background as a digital entrepreneur and provocative opinion writer have muddied the newsgathering at the network. Tweaks made at “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” are still too nascent to make final judgement, but both shows continue to lag their rivals in the ratings, with the morning show suffering significant erosion. Weiss’ decision to overhaul “60 Minutes,” widely considered the jewel of CBS and of TV-news overall, has left the venerable newsmagazine open to criticism and backlash.
Whether Paramount can serve as a good steward for CNN remains to be seen. There is some encouragement being taken by a decision by CBS News to participate in a broader decision by the TV networks to not take White House pool duties while the Trump administration bans CNN from its regular duties tied to that coverage.
But staffers are also concerned about the company’s business plans being changed — yet again. “What an enormous loss and disruption it would be to shuffle leadership for the umpteenth time in the midst — finally — of reshaping the business,” says one CNN staffer.
CNN employees have reason to wring their hands. Warner Bros. Discovery has changed streaming strategies for the outlet in major ways since taking control in 2022. The company scuttled a streaming product known as CNN+ that went heavy on new shows and new personalities, feeling the investment in the property was too much. Then it tested a product called CNN Max, a streaming subset built for viewers of HBO Max. And then Thompson was hired — and executive Alex MacCallum was re-hired — to chart a new (well, new-ish) way forward with a subscription product that aimed to lure younger consumers with interactive formats and special content not available on CNN’s linear feed.
The changes in mission have set CNN back on its feet while rivals stepped past it. NBC News has launched a portfolio of streaming products, including a bespoke service tied to “Today,” a FAST channel built from “Dateline,” a free, ad-supported daily live-streamed outlet called NBC News Now, and a subscription product featuring newsletters and contributions from correspondents like Steve Kornacki and Rebecca Keegan.
Fox News has developed the subscription outlet Fox Nation into an add-on product that gives viewers of its flagship property documentaries, comedy, movies and lifestyle content. Meanwhile, Fox has found that younger viewers are finding Fox News on its Fox One subscription service that was originally thought to be a primary draw for sports fans.
Disney’s ABC News has been experimenting with new formats for streaming viewers that try to address the topics and stories being searched most online. CBS News has tested a number of different strategies since launching a service once known as CBS All Access in 2014. In recent months, it launched a national “whip around” news program making use of reports from CBS local stations and programs focused on work by the CBS News Washington Bureau.
Most recently, MS NOW launched a new subscription “Membership” service that aims not only to deliver news but foster community. Subscribers get access to interactive sessions with top personalities as well as to shows about mindfulness, mental health and relationships. Rebecca Kutler, the president of MS NOW, had a hand in launching CNN+, and one of the new service’s contributors, Dan Harris, who leads programs on meditation and dealing with stress, was once poised to contribute to that previous service.
Without a boost from new digital revenue, CNN’s business will likely decline, according to projections from Kagan, a market-research unit of S&P Global Intelligence. CNN’s cash flow is seen falling to $735.3 million in 2027, according to Kagan, down nearly 10% from $815.9 million in 2025. A projected spike in 2026 is due to midterm election coverage, which typically draws broader audiences. Advertising is projected to fall about 6.6% to $457.6 million in 2027, according to Kagan, compared with $489.8 million in 2025. Cash from distribution, however, is expected to keep rising.
CNN must also grapple with how much independence it will have under Paramount. Paramount Skydance CEO has put CBS News into unorthodox situations by holding a private dinner with personnel from the news division and the Trump administration and by hiring a factotum ombudsman to monitor CBS who has staunch partisan ties. News rivals wonder why CBS News seems so eager to put U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth into so many of its programs — he was a big “get” interview during Tony Dokoupil’s first “CBS Evening News” telecast and appeared on last week’s season premiere of “60 Minutes” — when Hegseth’s Pentagon has been so hostile to traditional press outlets.
The solution — for now — is to be found in the formation of a board designed to govern both CNN and CBS News. Under the terms of an agreement unveiled Monday between Paramount and a set of attorneys general who were blocking the merger, this board is expected to set up guiding principles for “accuracy, independence, fairness and journalistic integrity.” And it will aim to resolve disputes between staffers and news management around any violations of those principles. Members of the board will be appointed by Paramount, a fact that already makes their allegiance suspect.
Such bodies have proven largely ineffectual in the past. Rupert Murdoch created a similar structure when he purchased The Wall Street Journal from its longtime owners, the Bancroft family, in 2007 for $5 billion. But there is little mention of such an entity today when the giant news outlet grapples with legal or operational matters. An oversight committee staffed by journalism experts, academics and executives that holds regular meetings with senior operators might have some bite. A group led by a motley group of friends and acquaintances that rarely engages with operating officers might be seen as toothless.

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” rewrites the record for the longest run ever achieved atop the Billboard Hot 100 as it scores a 23rd week at No. 1. The smash one-ups the command of Mariah Carey’s perennial “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which has topped the chart each Yuletide season since the classic 1994 carol first led.
Here’s an updated look at the longest-leading hits, ranked by most weeks spent at No. 1 on the Hot 100, since the chart began in August 1958:
“Choosin’ Texas” debuted on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 1, 2025, as Langley’s fifth career entry on the chart. It became her first top 10 in January and initially led in February, on its way to setting multiple chart records.
“It feels surreal,” Langley told Billboard News earlier this year of the song’s impact. “I think this has been the biggest moment for me, where I’ve seen where fans can change your career. For so long, you’re like, ‘Alright, one song at a time, one record at a time.’ But with this one song — and they’ve done it continuously for me — but really with ‘Choosin’ Texas’ … man, have they taken ahold of it. It’s wild.”
As for what has helped the song connect so strongly? “I don’t know. I really don’t,” said Langley, who co-penned it with Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert and Joybeth Taylor. “Those of us that wrote it, we talk about that. We love this song. I don’t know if it’s because it’s an honest point of view … but I hear a lot of honest songs all the time, so I don’t know. I tried to add some groove into this record, big singing choruses and big melodic guitar licks that you can remember. I don’t know if it feels nostalgic or sounds like something they hadn’t heard before.”
Read on for details of the entire top 10 on this week’s Hot 100.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts dated Sept. 26, 2026, will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Sept. 23 (a day later than usual due to observance of Yom Kippur Sept. 21). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Plus, for all chart rules and explanations, click here.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Music superstar Lionel Richie is taking time off from touring after undergoing a heart procedure, his representative confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.
The 77-year-old singer underwent a procedure for atrial fibrillation, according to his rep.
“The doctor said everything went perfectly,” the representative said in a statement. “Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”
Atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib, is an irregular heart rhythm that can cause symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness can be treated by medication, surgery and lifestyle changes, the CDC says.
Richie has faced several health challenges since beginning a nationwide tour with Earth, Wind & Fire earlier this summer.
The “Hello” singer postponed two shows after falling ill on stage during the first night of the tour in late June.
In late August, Richie checked himself into a hospital out of an abundance of caution, a source close to the singer’s tour told ABC News.
No further details were shared about his condition at the time.
Richie has three upcoming tour dates scheduled for late September and early October in San Francisco, Columbus and Chicago, according to his website.
He is then expected to take the stage at the Wynn in Las Vegas in October and November for his “King of Hearts” shows.