"The Mighty Ducks," the hit movie franchise that started back in 1992, is back in a new way: as a 10-episode series for Disney+. There's a new underdog story to tell here, but not without the help of the films' original star, Emilio Estevez.
In "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," we learn the once underdog Ducks have risen to the top of the heap. Lauren Graham joins the cast as a woman who decides to start her own team, once her son gets cut from the Ducks. But she can't do it without Estevez's character, marking the return of the fan favorite Gordon Bombay.
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"We're in a moment where we're almost at peak nostalgia. We're not quite there yet, and I thought if there was ever a time to start thinking about doing any re-boots, it was now," said Estevez.
"The franchise has always had a lot of heart and a lot of, kind of, sympathy for the underdog, and I love that for a theme," said Graham. "It's the feeling of not fitting in. It's the feeling of what if I can't succeed, and it's the joy in finding teammates who support you."
Graham is a co-executive producer on the project, and Estevez is a protective executive producer.
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"There is a responsibility. You want to make sure you are honoring the fans of the franchise," said Estevez. "So often, we'll see re-boots where people really get turned off because they didn't capture the magic. But I think there's a lot of magic in this series, and we've got five hours as opposed to an hour and a half film or a two-hour film to tell our story."
"The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" premieres March 26, on Disney+.