Emilio Estevez is rumored to be returning to play Coach Gordon Bombay in the Disney+ reboot series, Mighty Ducks. Estevez played Bombay, a disgraced lawyer forced to coach a kid’s hockey team as a form of community service, in the 1992 hit film, The Mighty Ducks. Bombay eventually softens his tough exterior as he develops an emotional connection with the kids, and he successfully coaches them to victory. The film, a classic underdog story, spawned two sequels, a real-world NHL hockey team, and an animated series.
Estevez reprised the role in 1994’s D2: The Mighty Ducks, in which the team returns with most of its original members (and a few new faces) to compete at the Junior Goodwill Games. The third film in the trilogy, D3: The Mighty Ducks, opens with Bombay leaving the team to take a job at the Junior Goodwill Games, and ends with the character in attendance as the team wins an important game by a narrow 1-0 victory. The ending provided a sense of closure to Bombay’s time coaching the Ducks, and served as a logical exit for the character, leaving viewers unsure if he would return should the franchise continue.
Now, Estevez brings Coach Bombay back for a Disney+ reboot of the film franchise. The Illuminerdi reports that the ten-episode, half-hour reboot series will star Estevez as Bombay in a leading role. As previously reported, the new series follows a 13-year-old boy who is booted from the Mighty Ducks hockey team, and together with his mom, assembles a new team, coach, and practice venue. It’s possible their quest to form a new Mighty Ducks leads them back to Estevez’s Bombay since it’s now clear this is more than just a cameo.
The Illuminerdi also adds descriptions for a couple of new characters, such as an “unpopular girl who likes to wear wings and a cape at school and pretend she’s a fairy-magician,” and her possible rival, Mary, the popular girl on both the team and at school. The cast’s other characters were revealed in an earlier casting breakdown, and include a master skateboarder named Sam, and a heavyset boy named “Koob” who is a “hardcore video game player” with pale skin from too many hours in his “downstairs man cave.”
The addition of Estevez to the cast serves as a cherry on what was already a nostalgia sundae, and with original trilogy screenwriter Steven Brill on board, it’s clear the franchise is in loving hands. All ten episodes of the series will be handled by Cuban Fury director James Griffiths, an excellent choice considering the style and flair he brought to the 2014 romantic comedy about the world of competitive salsa dancing. While no release date has been announced, the Mighty Ducks is scheduled to film in Vancouver this March, which could indicate a fall premiere.
More: The Mighty Ducks Reboot at Disney+: Production & Plot Details Revealed (Quack, Quack)
Source: The Illuminerdi
