Josh Duhamel joins the cast of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers season 2 as the new head coach. The former head coach and face of The Mighty Ducks franchise was Emilio Estevez, who played Gordon Bombay, who led the junior hockey team to victory throughout the film series and in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers season 1. Disney+ recently renewed the show for a second season, but Estevez departed the show with Disney reportedly not renewing his contract over his COVID vaccination status.
Estevez disputed the claims that he left the show over COVID vaccinations and said his exit was due to "good old fashioned contract dispute" and "a myriad of creative differences." The actor went on to describe how he had contracted COVID-19 in 2020, during which he suffered what is known as "Long-Haul Syndrome." Estevez is reportedly now in pre-production on a third sequel to the Young Guns franchise, entitled Guns 3: Alias Billy The Kid.
Now, per THR, Duhamel is filling the void left by Estevez, taking on the role of head coach for the team in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers season 2. Duhamel is coming off of the comic-book show Jupiter's Legacy, which was canceled by Netflix after just one season, so his schedule has opened up for a new lead role. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers season 2 will also have returning cast members, including Lauren Graham and Brady Noon. Duhamel's character will be a new one, and is described as such:
Duhamel will portray Gavin Cole, a former NHL player-turned-coach who is described as inspirational, charming and hardcore as he is big on the hockey metaphor that applies to life. He runs the super-intense summer hockey institute where the Mighty Ducks land for season two.
Duhamel is best known as William Lennox in the Transformers franchise, as well as Danny McCoy in the TV series Las Vegas. The actor has also done a fair share of voice work, appearing in shows like Fanboy and Chum Chum, Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and Batman: The Long Halloween. Duhamel stars in the upcoming action/romcom movie Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez and the bank-heist thriller Bandit.
There will likely be some fan uproar over Duhamel replacing Estevez, especially since Estevez has been the figurehead of The Mighty Ducks franchise since the original film debuted in 1992. However, Duhamel brings a strong level of charm and presence to this type of role and it's entirely possible that he'll slide into the role with relative ease. In the end, the show is really about the team itself, rather than a single character, so Duhamel's addition to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers will no doubt simply balance that out, rather than steal the show.
Source: THR