When is The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers released on Disney Plus?

However, it wouldn't be the Mighty Ducks without fan-favourite coach Gordon Bombay, with Emilio Estevez returning as a washed up version of the character - along with a few other familiar faces...

Read on for everything you need to know about The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, including all the latest casting news and when it will be released.

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When is The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers released on Disney Plus?

The series will premiere on the streamer on Friday 26th March 2021. The following nine episodes will then be released weekly on Fridays.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers cast

Only one cast member from the original film series has been confirmed to return for the full series – but it's a big one, with Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club) reprising his role as Gordon Bombay.

Speaking after his casting was confirmed, Estevez announced: "Once a Duck, always a Duck! And after 25 years, I am delighted to lace up my skates, put on Coach Bombay's jacket and return to play the iconic character for this new chapter in ‘The Mighty Ducks’ franchise.

"Likewise, I am thrilled to return to my old stomping grounds with my friends at Disney and Steve Brill, the original creator of the franchise, to join them on their exciting new platform, Disney Plus.”

However, that doesn't mean that the rest of the film cast won't make guest appearances - with episode six confirmed to be a reunion special that will bring back many of the original ducks. Returning are Elden Henson as Fulton, Matt Doherty as Averman, Vinny LaRusso as Adam Banks, Marguerite Moreau as Connie, Garret Henson as Guy, and Justin Wong as Kenny Wu.

Noticeably absent are Joshua Jackson’s Charlie Conway and Kenan Thompson’s Russ Tyler - but executive producer Steven Brill has teased that there have been talks with Jackson on the issue.

Brill told TVLine: "We've talked to Josh [Jackson] over the years developing this and he's part of the family, part of the group... and everyone else, when and where they show up, is an open, exciting question."

Other main cast members include former Boardwalk Empire cast member Brady Noon as Evan, and Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham as his mother Alex, while there are supporting turns from Maxwell Simkins, Swayam Bhatia, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Taegen Burns, Bella Higginbotham and DJ Watts.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers trailer

You can get a taste of the action by watching the teaser trailer below, which follows a dejected Evan after he is kicked out the team and reintroduces us to Gordon Bombay.

Disney then released a full trailer in February 2021, which gives a more in-depth look at the new generation of Mighty Ducks and a down-on-his-luck Gordon Bombay.

What is The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers about?

The series will catch up with the Mighty Ducks junior hockey team, which has risen above their previous underdog status to become one of the most competitive teams in its division.

The team is now very selective about who gets to play for it, with 12-year-old boy Evan (Brady Noon) kicked out for not being good enough.

And so after being persuaded by his mother (Lauren Graham), Evan sets out to form a new team – relying on support from former Ducks' coach, Gordon Bombay – aiming to challenge the ultra-serious mentality of his former team.

Emilio Estevez has warned that Gordon Bombay is a different man to the smiling inspirational coach we last saw in the 90s films. “He’s a little broken. He’s a little beat up by life, and he’s kind of hiding out,” Estevez told TVLine. “He’s eating pizza and leftover birthday cake from kids’ birthday parties at the ice rink that he’s managing, and he’s not managing it very well."

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It took some adjustment for Estevez to play this new down-and-out Bombay, but over the course of the 10 episode series he returns to being the coach we all wished we had.

"Over the course of the show, obviously, he comes out of his shell, we see him getting reengaged thanks to not only the kids training there but also through Lauren [Graham]'s character drawing him out, drawing some truth out of him, drawing him out of his shell," Estevez told EW. "But I think it works. We get a full arc for this character throughout the course of the 10 episodes."

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is available on Disney Plus from Friday 26th March 2021. You cna sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.