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Gordon Bombay will not be returning to coach the Mighty Ducks, and star Emilio Estevez’s COVID-19 vaccination status may have something to do with that.
According to a report from Deadline, Estevez — who reprised his role from the Disney film franchise for the new Disney+ series “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” — won’t be coming back for a second season.
Deadline cites sources claiming that Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature, which produces the series for Disney+, “made the decision not to pick up Estevez’s option for Season 2 after weeks of back and forth with his team over the show’s COVID vaccination requirement.
Reps for both the studio and Estevez declined Deadline‘s request for comment.
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As Deadline notes, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” is one of many productions to adopt a mandatory vaccination policy for the cast and crew in Zone A (which is defined as the area on set involving actors and the crew members who come into contact with them).
“According to sources, Estevez, through his reps, has declined to provide assurances that he would comply with the policy,” Deadline continues, leaving the show “at an impasse as the Season 2 scripts were being written and the planned early 2022 start of production was looming.” As a result, the scripts will reportedly be adjusted to accommodate the absence of Estevez’s character.
However, there may be more to the story than that; Deadline also cites “sources close to Estevez” claiming that “creative differences may have played a role in his exit.”