We’ve known about Disney’s plans to make a sequel show for The Mighty Ducks, the Pee-Wee hockey franchise that kicked off with a hit film in 1992. And while it’s almost certain it won’t bring back original cast member Jussie Smollett, it was unclear who would play their disgruntled adult coach. (Would Emilio Estevez, who doesn’t act a lot these days, return?) But now, thanks to Variety, we have an answer: The team’s fearless leader will be played by no less than Gilmore Girls matriarch Lauren Graham.
The new Mighty Ducks will focus on the next generation of kid athletes, the original team having evolved from scrappy underdogs to ultra-competitive and snooty. After they cut her 12-year-old son from the team, Graham’s Alex will form her own rag-tag team, presumably stacked with wacky outcasts who can barely skate but will soon turn into a force to be reckoned with.
The show will be the first live-action Mighty Ducks content since 1996’s D3: The Mighty Ducks, though it’s unclear if they’ll count the short-lived animated TV show version, which featured humanoid ducks, as canon. It’s also unclear if anyone from the show, from Estevez — according to Deadline, talks are “ongoing” — to Joshua Jackson to English thespian Joss Acklund, who played kindly sporting goods store owner Hans, will return, even for a cameo. Whatever the case, the show begins shooting shortly and will wind up on Disney+ later this year.
(Via Variety)
