Late last month, reports that Emilio Estevez was eyeing a return to Disney's Mighty Ducks franchise began to get in formation, and today we finally have confirmation that yes, the MEN AT WORK and THE BREAKFAST CLUB alum will indeed reprise his role as Coach Gordon Bombay for the new sequel series coming to Disney+.
“Once a Duck, always a Duck!,” said Estevez in a statement, “and after 25 years, I am delighted to lace up my skates, put on Coach Bombay's jacket and return to play the iconic character for this new chapter in ‘The Mighty Ducks’ franchise. Likewise, I am thrilled to return to my old stomping grounds with my friends at Disney and Steve Brill, the original creator of the franchise, to join them on their exciting new platform, Disney+.”
“It was an easy decision to bring back the Quack Attack with a modern and fresh twist,” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. “For a generation, ‘The Mighty Ducks’ stood for teamwork, friendship, and heart and we’re excited to see the Ducks fly together once again and bring the franchise to new audiences around the world. We are thrilled to have Emilio Estevez reprising his iconic role.”
Estevez will join previously announced series regulars Lauren Graham and Brady Noon. Also joining the cast are Swayam Bhatia, Taegen Burns, Julee Cerda, Bella Higginbotham, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Maxwell Simkins and De’Jon Watts.
Here's the official logline for the upcoming series:
In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom Alex (Graham) set out to build their own ragtag team of misfits to challenge the cutthroat, win-at-all-costs culture of competitive youth sports. With the help of Gordon Bombay (Estevez), they discover the joys of playing just for the love of the game.
Estevez starred in both THE MIGHTY DUCKS and its sequel D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS. He also played a part in the third film in the franchise, D3: THE MIGHTY DUCKS. However, due to scheduling conflicts, his role was reduced to a cameo. In the original film, Bombay arrives as a hubristic defense attorney who, after winning his thirtieth case, is promptly arrested for drunk driving and is sentenced to 500 hours of community service. As an aspect of his punishment, he's enlisted as the coach of the local "District 5" Pee-Wee hockey team, which is made up of a rag-tag group of adolescents who barely know how to skate, let alone handle a puck. As a veteran of the game with tortured memories to haunt him, Bombay struggles to whip the team into shape while also keeping his inner hockey demons at bay. Before long, Bombay realizes that the team has potential, and thus the journey toward teaching them how to fly truly begins.
The Quack Attack is back, Jack!