The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers flips the expectations on a beloved Disney franchise. Here are the notes from today’s TCA panel.
-Emilio Estevez returns as Gordon Bombay, in this part of the character’s life he’s returned to seclusion and putting of emotional defenses.
-These Mighty Ducks have become the powerhouse bully team in this era. When 12-year-old Evan Morrow, played by Brady Noon, is cut from the ten time state champion Mighty Ducks team, his mother played by Lauren Graham convinces him to start a new team that will try to take the Ducks mantle.
-Estevez was supposed to direct episode 8 but due to the changes caused by covid, he felt the lift would be too much for both sides of the camera.
-The story flips the narrative rather than grab nostalgia. We see a new team of underdogs from modern walks of life join the junior hockey league in rebellion to parents who put too much pressure on their kids and looking for a place to belong. This new team of characters consists of Brady Noon, (“Evan Morrow”), Maxwell Simkins (“Nick”), Swayam Bhatia (“Sofi Hudson-Batra”), Luke Islam (“Koob”), Kiefer O’Reilly (“Logan”), Taegen Burns (“Maya”), Bella Higginbotham (“Lauren”), and DJ Watts (“Sam”).
-Will we see other returning characters from the films? Producers Steve Brill and Michael Spiller would not give specifics but have mentioned talking with previous cast such as Joshua Jackson (Charlie Conway) during the show’s development. While they were tight lipped Brill gave the “all will be revealed soon” answer.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers 10-episode first season will premiere on Disney + weekly beginning on March 26.
