The Mighty Ducks will be forging ahead without the sole link to the movies.
Per Deadline, Emilio Estevez will not be returning as Coach Bombay for the second season of the TV adaptation of the series.
The outlet states Disney decided against picking up the actor’s contract for more episodes after much back and forth regarding the series’ mandate for COVID vaccination.
Furthermore, Deadline states that Emilio refused to assure he would comply with the mandate, which complicated his return to the franchise.
Instead, Disney opted to move ahead in a new direction, making changes to the scripts.
The last-minute decision means production will not get underway until next year, meaning fans likely have a lengthy hiatus in store.
Like many film and TV projects, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers has added a mandatory vaccination policy, which has been a part of an agreement between studios and unions.
Estevez was added to the cast of the Disney+ TV series in February 2020.
“Once a Duck, always a Duck!” Estevez exclaimed in a statement confirming the news.
“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+.”
Estevez starred opposite Lauren Graham on the series.
“In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team,” reads the official logline.
“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.”
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Swayam Bhatia, Taegen Burns, Julee Cerda, Bella Higginbotham, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Maxwell Simkins, and De’Jon Watts.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.