Entertainment

Darkwing Duck is back for a whole new generation.

Disney+ has greenlit an all-new Darkwing Duck animated series. This continuation of the animated franchise brings back the character Drake Mallard as the crime fighter known as Darkwing Duck.

“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,” according to the show’s official synopsis.

Mark Hamill leads the show’s voice cast as Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck. The all-star ensemble also includes Seth Rogen as Launchpad McQuack, Lizzy Caplan as Gosalyn Mallard, Lilimar as Duckie, 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.

The show comes from Sean Tretta and Borja Peña Gorostegui, who also executive produce. The original series’ creator Tad Stones consulted on the development of this new continuation.

“Like every other fan of the original show, I’m excited to see Darkwing getting dangerous again in a whole new series,” Stones said. “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.”

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Actress Hayden Panettiere‘s death has been ruled an accidental overdose from drugs, including fentanyl, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina.

The coroner’s office said the other four drugs in her system were: 4-ANPP, a man-made byproduct of making fentanyl; alprazolam, known as Xanax, which commonly treats anxiety and panic disorders; methocarbamol, known as Robaxin, which treats muscle spasms and related injuries; and quetiapine, known as Seroquel, an antipsychotic medication used to treat mental health conditions that can also help with sleep.

Of the combination of medications, fentanyl is the most likely to result in an overdose death.

Her autopsy found “no signs of trauma … that would have contributed to the death,” the coroner’s office said.

The 36-year-old Nashville star died in August after she was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating if the fentanyl came from South Carolina or if the actress may have brought it with her from California, sources told ABC News. Panettiere flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death, sources said.

Panettiere was honored over the weekend at a memorial service in California, her representative confirmed to ABC News. Panettiere’s Nashville co-star Connie Britton and other celebrities, including Evan Ross and Ruby Rose, were photographed attending the memorial.

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Kit Harington jumped at the chance to join the Wizarding World.

The actor revealed his personal connection to the Harry Potter books in an interview released Monday on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. It was the Harry Potter audiobooks that helped Harington get through his sobriety struggles, the actor said.

“I listen to the Stephen Fry audiobooks. And I do that because my brain is incredibly busy, especially at night, and I’ve always found going to bed very difficult like and my brain doesn’t turn off,” Harington said. “When I got sober that got especially bad. So I started listening to Harry Potter audio books, and now they’re the thing I listen to every night.”

The Game of Thrones actor said because of this, the Harry Potter books “have a very special place in my heart.”

This is especially true after Harington voiced the character Gilderoy Lockhart in Audible’s Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, which was released in late 2025. He now is set to reprise the role as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts in season 2 of the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series.

“When I knew they were doing this show, I was like, ‘I think that’s a brilliant idea, I think they can really delve into it further than the films did.’ I’m fully supportive of it,” Harington said. “And then I got called to be in it, and that was just a very simple, ‘Yes, please!'”

Harington replaced Nicholas Hoult in the role. Hoult was previously announced to star as the character back in August before he left the part over scheduling issues. HBO had to work around two of Hoult’s preexisting projects, and when it was no longer feasible, the actor was let out of his deal, ABC Audio confirmed at the time.

Gilderoy Lockhart was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The first season of the upcoming series, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, debuts on HBO and HBO Max on Dec. 25. Its season 2 renewal was announced on May 6.

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Hayden Panettiere was celebrated over the weekend at a memorial service held in California, her representative confirmed to ABC News.

Around 80 friends of the late Nashville star, who died on Aug. 16 at the age of 36, gathered in Malibu on Saturday to share “an evening of music, memories, laughter and tears.”

“We wanted to honor Hayden in the best way we knew how—with as much love as possible,” Panettiere’s representative, Kasey Kitchen, said in a statement with a group of the actress’s friends, who jointly organized the memorial.

The statement continued, “It was a beautiful and intimate ceremony where friends came together to celebrate her life and honor the beautiful, magnetic light and love she infused into the world.”

Panettiere’s Nashville co-star Connie Britton and other celebrities, including Evan Ross and Ruby Rose, were photographed attending the memorial.

Panettiere died after she was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment.

The actress’s official cause and manner of death have not yet been announced.

An investigation into her death has expanded from South Carolina to Los Angeles, and investigators are focusing on the role drugs may have played in her death, sources told ABC News last week.

Kitchen, Panettiere’s representative, said in a statement on Sept. 15 that her death “remains under investigation pending toxicology results.”

“As we await the answers we are all seeking, may we also remember Hayden for the incredible legacy she leaves behind — the light she shined on mental health and postpartum depression, and the voice she gave to those who felt unseen and unheard,” Kitchen said. “The answers we are all seeking will come.”

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Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, has died at 27 years old, according to a report from the Los Angeles medical examiner.

He died on Sunday at a rehab facility, the report said.

A spokesperson for Crawford also confirmed the 27-year-old’s death, telling ABC News in a statement Sunday, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”

Further details about his cause of death were not immediately available.

Presley Gerber, brother of model and actress Kaia Gerber, also worked as a model, being signed by IMG Models at 15 years old.

He walked runways during fashion weeks for Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana and had campaigns with Calvin Klein, Celine and more.

Presley Gerber had been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse, speaking candidly about treatment after being charged with a DUI in 2019. He had a series of videos called Mental Health Mondays in 2024.

Last month, Kaia Gerber referenced her brother’s public battle with addiction in an interview with Vogue.

“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she told the publication. “I think that’s also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.” She also commended her brother for speaking out.

“My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn’t share anything,” Kaia Gerber added, “and now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, ‘I’m gonna be very human for everyone.’ There’s only so much you can hide from the world. And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.”

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Season 13 of FX’s American Horror Story is getting an official video podcast set to air on Hulu. Each of the four episodes will feature cast and crew members interviewing each other, including Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts, Joey Pollari and Paul Anthony Kelly. The first episode drops Sept. 24, the same day AHS: 13 debuts on FX and Hulu. Disney is the parent company of FX, Hulu and ABC News …

Brad Pitt is reportedly on board for a World War Z sequel. According to Variety, Conclave director Edward Berger will helm the project. Berger recently directed Pitt in the upcoming film The Riders. The original World War Z, about a zombie apocalypse, was released in 2013 …

Reacher star Alan Ritchson is in talks to join the video game movie adaptation Helldivers, Deadline reports. The news comes after Jason Momoa exited the project. The film, directed by Justin Lin, is expected to hit theaters Nov. 10, 2027 …

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Emily is saying au revoir to Paris.

Emily in Paris has officially wrapped production on its sixth and final season. Star Lily Collins bid farewell with a bittersweet post on Instagram Friday.

Captioning a photo of her sitting in a director’s chair with the word “Fin” written on it, Collins wrote that it was “impossible to find the words for what this journey has meant to me.”

“For so many years, Emily has been a part of my life, and through every season, she’s continued to surprise me, inspire me, and challenge me,” she continued.

Collins thanked show creator Darren Star “for dreaming up this endlessly optimistic American girl in Paris who finds herself constantly outside of her comfort zone, learning to trust herself while leaning on others as she navigates her new life.” She went on to thank the cast, crew and fans.

“I will carry this chapter with me forever,” she concluded. “Saying goodbye feels completely surreal and bittersweet, but mostly, I feel so incredibly proud and grateful that I got to be her. And be part of something so joyful. This has forever changed me.”

The final season of Emily in Paris sees Emily in multiple European locations, including Greece.

“Stepping into a new era of ambition and romance, Emily faces defining choices that test her ultimate loyalties,” according to an official logline for the season. “But as unexpected career conflicts and shifting relationships force her to reevaluate where her true future lies, she must make one final choice between her career, her heart, and the life she’s built in Paris.”

Season 6 debuts on Netflix Dec. 24.

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Actress Millie Bobby Brown and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, appear to have welcomed a second baby.

Brown shared a photo on Instagram Thursday of a baby’s hands holding Bongiovi’s fingers, with her hand on top of theirs. Brown is wearing a diamond ring that says “MOM” on her middle finger.

“Hi little guy!” the “Stranger Things” star captioned the photo, in which she tagged Bongiovi.

Representatives for Brown and Bongiovi did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

Brown and Bongiovi are already the parents of a daughter whose birth they announced in August 2025. The couple said at the time they welcomed their daughter via adoption.

In July, Brown spoke to Vanity Fair and shared how she had always wanted to adopt a child, a subject she explored while studying social work for two years.

“I was learning primarily about adoption, which was where I really piqued an interest, and learning from the social worker’s perspective, which I find very interesting,” she said at the time. “Kudos to all social workers and what they do; I think it’s so amazing and unbelievable. Changing the trajectory of children’s lives forever is a beautiful thing, so my hats off to you.”

She added that Bongiovi, the son of music star Jon Bon Jovi, was also open to the idea of adoption, saying that he was “kind of in from the jump. Maybe that’s why I married him.”

“It was kind of great to be able to just know that we wanted to start a family still rooted in love, but through adoption,” Brown said.

Brown and Bongiovi tied the knot in a small, intimate ceremony in May 2024 after three years together.

They had a second wedding in Tuscany in September 2024.

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Duncan Sheik, the Tony Award-winning composer behind Spring Awakening and more, has died, according to his Instagram. He was 56.

The Friday morning Instagram post said the “father, husband, son, brother, and friend” died on Thursday night “surrounded by love.”

A message shared on Sheik’s Instagram earlier this week by his family said he was “receiving medical care” and was “in critical but stable condition.”

“The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” Friday’s statement said. “From his Grammy-nominated hit “Barely Breathing” to his groundbreaking, Tony and Grammy Award-winning work on Spring Awakening, Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.”

Born on Nov. 18, 1969, in Montclair, New Jersey, Sheik rose to fame in 1996 when he released his self-titled debut album, which included his hit song, “Barely Breathing.”

The song peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned him a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance.

Following his debut album, he released Humming in 1998, Phantom Moon in 2001 and Daylight in 2002.

While “Barely Breathing” established Sheik as a singer-songwriter, his career later expanded into musical theater, where he found success as a composer.

Sheik collaborated with lyricist Steven Sater and composed the music for Spring Awakening, which opened on Broadway in 2006.

He told Broadcast Music, Inc. in 2015 that around the time he was making the music for Spring Awakening, he wasn’t “a huge fan” of music that was happening on Broadway and he wanted to make the music for an audience “beyond the normal crowd that would go to a Broadway musical.”

The rock musical, based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play and starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher and Skylar Astin, became a major success. It won eight Tony Awards in 2007, including best musical, best original score and best orchestrations.

He went on to compose music for several other stage productions, including American Psycho and Because of Winn-Dixie. He also collaborated with Sater again on Alice by Heart and The Secret Life of Bees.

In his interview with Broadcast Music, Inc., he added that working on musical theater has “helped broaden my palette.”

Sheik went on to release several more albums throughout his career, including White Limousine, Whisper House, Covers 80s, Legerdemain and Claptrap.

In May, it was announced that Sheik’s new musical, Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, would make its off-Broadway debut this fall. The musical is based on Moyoco Anno’s manga graphic novel of the same name.

An off-Broadway revival of Spring Awakening is also set to open this fall. 

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New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is heading to Law & Order: SVU.

The guest-starring role on season 28 of the NBC drama series has been in the making for a while. SVU star Mariska Hargitay is a big Knicks fan and was a courtside mainstay for the playoffs this year, often seen hugging Brunson after the games. The team won their first championship in 53 years back in June.

After the win, Brunson was asked what he would do in the offseason and he responded, “Try to get on SVU.”

“When the plans finally make it out of the group chat. Jalen Brunson is officially headed to #SVU!” the show’s Instagram posted.

The point guard will appear in the Nov. 5 episode, though his role remains under wraps.

Brunson also appeared with Hargitay in the opening segment of the 78th Emmys, which Hargitay hosted. He’s set to host the season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 26.

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