Coach Bombay has found himself in the penalty box. According to Consequence, Emilio Estevez (The Public, Bobby) will not return for season two of Disney+’s Mighty Ducks: Game Changers because of his failure to comply with the studio’s vaccine policy. Estevez originated the role of hockey coach Gordon Bombay in the three 90s Mighty Ducks films the series is based on.
According to Deadline, Estevez’s team and Disney TV Studios had volleyed for confirmation of him receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Since the various vaccines have become available, Disney inserted a mandate that all Zone A cast and crew members be vaccinated. It was an agreement the studios and major unions agreed upon as part of the industry’s Return-to-Work deal. While it has not become the standard yet, other studios are gradually applying similar policies. In addition to Disney, Netflix requires vaccines for its Zone A employees.
Deadline reports Estevez had failed to meet the vaccine requirements as scripts for the second season of the show were being written. With production set to begin in 2022, Disney pulled their option on the actor. Scripts will be reworked for the character’s exit. While neither Disney nor Estevez’s team have made an official statement, sources close to the actor’s group claim his exit was due to “creative differences.”
Estevez’s departure leaves the series to co-leads Lauren Graham (Parenthood, Evan Almighty) and Brady Noon (Good Boys, Marry Me), via Deadline. Graham and Noon play a mother and son who, after falling out with the uber-cutthroat culture of youth sports, decide to form their own ragtag hockey team. The new Ducks features Swayam Bhatia (Succession, Master of None), Taegen Burns (Michael Jackson: Searching For Neverland, Blue Ridge), Bella Higginbotham (Troop Zero), Luke Islam (13: The Musical, America’s Got Talent), Kiefer O’Reilly (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, All Yours), Maxwell Simkins (The Chicken Squad, The Sleepover), and DJ Watts (Black Panther, Faith Under Fire).
Season one of Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, which premiered in March, is available to stream on Disney+.