Emilio Estevez is officially returning as Coach Bombay for The Mighty Ducks sequel series on Disney+. Released in 1992, the first Mighty Ducks movie revolved around Estevez’s Gordon Bombay, a hotshot defense attorney from Minneapolis and former aspiring professional hockey player who’s forced to coach a struggling Pee-Wee hockey team. The sports comedy went on to become a box office hit, with a sequel titled D2: The Mighty Ducks releasing two years later. Estevez reprised his role as Bombay for the followup before returning in a reduced capacity for the third and final film, D3, in 1996.
The Mighty Ducks franchise (which inspired Disney’s Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, but is otherwise unconnected to the ’90s cartoon show) went dormant after that, prior to Disney developing a sequel TV series in 2018. It was later announced the show would premiere on their Disney+ streaming service, with Mighty Ducks creator Steve Brill serving as a producer. More recently, rumors sprung up about Estevez potentially reprising his role as Bombay for the show. As of today, the news is official.
Disney confirmed Estevez’s return for The Mighty Ducks show in a press release and plans to begin streaming the 10-episode series on Disney+ later this year. You can read Estevez’s statement from the announcement below, followed by the first-look photos of him back on the ice with the show’s young cast (which were released through the Disney+ Twitter account).
The Mighty Ducks sequel show was co-created by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (who are also serving as the showrunners) and only just received a series order this week. According to its synopsis, the TV show takes place in present-day Minnesota, where the Mighty Ducks have evolved into “an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team”. Brady Noon and Lauren Graham are starring in the series as twelve-year old Evan and his mother Alex, who set out to assemble a “ragtag team of misfits” to challenge the Ducks after Evan is suddenly cut from the team. Bombay will be a supporting player on the show who aids the pair, in the process helping them to rediscover “the joys of playing just for the love of the game”.
“Once a Duck, always a Duck!, 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+.”
Disney’s Mighty Ducks series is one of a pair of sequel-reboot shows the company plans to begin streaming later this year, along with the Lizzie McGuire followup series (which has Hilary Duff reprising her ultra-popular character from the 2000s Disney Channel show). The Mouse House actually has a pretty decent track record when it comes to legacy shows like these. More specifically, its Boy Meets World sequel series, Girl Meets World, was widely praised for being a thoughtful and modernized take on the original show’s concept that had something to offer fans both young and old(er). With a little luck, and Coach Bombay back to lend a helping hand, The Mighty Ducks will follow its lead in that regard.
The Mighty Ducks TV show premieres on Disney+ later this year.
Source: Disney+
