Josh Duhamel To Replace Emilio Estevez in Disney+ Mighty Ducks Series

Photo: Josh Duhamel/Twitter

(KDLM) – North Dakota native Josh Duhamel has been hired to star in season two of the Disney+ series Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.

Duhamel’s character is named Gavin Cole. Cole is a former NHL player-turned coach who runs a super intense hockey institute where the players will be in season two.

Duhamel is replacing Emilio Estevez, who starred as Coach Bombay in all three Mighty Ducks films and the first season of the Disney+ series. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Estevez’s departure comes after an apparent contract dispute with Disney’s ABC Signature, which produces the show.

Some rumors say the dispute also stems from Estevez’s vaccination status. However, he says that his departure from the show is nothing more than a contract disagreement.

“The legacy of the franchise was more important to me than my own health. In retrospect, I wrongly chose to protect the show over being transparent about having contracted Covid-19,” Estevez wrote in a statement. “My exit from the show was due to a myriad of creative differences — any other narrative is false.”

The 10-episode first season premiered on Disney+ in March 2021. A premiere date for season two hasn’t been announced.