The Mighty Ducks franchise was a major success with kids in the 90s. The three movies of the trilogy starring Emilio Eztevez as lawyer-turned-coach Gordon Bombay were big enough hits that there was even talk of a Mighty Ducks 4 as recently as 2014. Another sequel on the big screen hasn't happened, but Mighty Ducks may be heading to the small screen for a TV show. Somebody alert Emilio Estevez to lace up his skates and get ready to hit the ice again!
ABC Signature Studios is reportedly developing a TV series based on The Mighty Ducks. The project is still in the very early stages of development, as neither a network nor a streaming outlet is connected at this point. The fact that it is going into development at ABC Signature Studios -- whiich is the streaming- and cable-focused branch of ABC studios -- does indicate that there's serious consideration of bringing the story of the misfit youth hockey team to TV.
The prospective Mighty Ducks series entered development after original Mighty Ducks film trilogy screenwriter Steven Brill and original producer Jordan Kerr approached ABC Signature head honcho Tracy Underwood, according to THR. Brill will write the script for ABC Signature. If the script is received well, ABC Signature could look to sign a cast and shop the project to streaming services, broadcast networks, and cable outlets this year. One potential option is saving the Mighty Ducks for the Disney streaming service, which will already be the home of a live-action Star Wars series as well as other scripted originals.
At this point, there's no saying if the Mighty Ducks series would be a sequel to the original film trilogy or a reboot of the premise. A reboot would allow the series to start fresh without worrying about the continuity of three movies from the 1990s. That said, a sequel to the original movies would open the door for appearances from the original cast. Emilio Estevez is not currently attached to the project, as no script has yet been written.
While Emilio Estevez was a huge part of the first two Mighty Ducks movies, he had a significantly reduced role for D3: The Mighty Ducks. In fact, that third movie largely revolved around Joshua Jackson as Charlie Conway. It would be interesting to see if the TV show could land either of these actors to reprise their roles. If not, the cast aside from Coach Bombay and Charlie was plenty big. How amazing would it be to get cameos from the original hockey players, all grown up?
If the stars should somehow align and Joshua Jackson was willing to sign on for a regular role on a Mighty Ducks TV show, I have an idea. The show could open with the reveal that Coach Bombay had recently passed away, and his death motivated Charlie to revisit his roots as a hockey fan. In honor of his mentor, Charlie could become the coach of a new generation of misfit kids just waiting to be molded into hockey champions. Admittedly, it would be kind of a bummer to kick off a new show with the reveal that good old Coach Bombay had died, but it would allow Charlie to really follow in Bombay's footsteps of stepping away from his previous life to become a hockey coach. He wouldn't even need to be pulled over for drunk driving for it to happen! Besides, Emilio Eztevez could always show up via flashback. It could work!
We'll have to wait and see if the Mighty Ducks series actually happens. For what you'll be able to watch now and in the coming weeks, take a look at our midseason TV premiere guide. Unfortunately, the full Mighty Ducks trilogy is not available streaming online at the moment, but D3: The Mighty Ducks can be found streaming on Hulu. Don't forget to take our quiz of how well you know The Mighty Ducks 2.
