Emilio Estevez ‘not returning’ to The Mighty Ducks due to Disney’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Emilio Estevez ‘not returning’ to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to Disney’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate

By Tracy Wright For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:54 EDT, 6 November 2021 | Updated: 14:53 EDT, 6 November 2021

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Emilio Estevez is reportedly ‘not returning’ to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to Disney’s strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cast and crew. 

The 59-year-old actor, who first starred in the franchise as coach Gordon Bombay in the 1992 hockey flick The Mighty Ducks, left the Disney+ series because of disagreements over the show’s vaccine requirements.

‘Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature, which produces the hockey-themed sequel series, made the decision not to pick up Estevez’s option for Season 2 after weeks of back and forth with his team over the show’s Covid vaccination requirement,’ according to Deadline.

Stepping back: Emilio Estevez is reportedly ‘not returning’ to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to Disney’s strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cast and crew; seen in 2019

Game Changers, like many Hollywood productions, has a policy that everyone in their Zone A group — actors and most crew members — must be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

DailyMail.com reached out to Emilio’s representatives for comment.

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Estevez reprised his role as Coach Bombay for season one of Game Changers, which debuted on the streaming service in March and was picked up for another season in August. 

Iced out: Estevez reprised his role as Coach Bombay for season one of Game Changers, which debuted on the streaming service in March and was picked up for another season in August

He’s played the role a host of times, first starring in the classic film nearly two decades ago before the sequel took the kids hockey team to the Olympics in D2: The Mighty Ducks.  

‘Over the years, there have been a lot of reunions, whether it was through the Anaheim Ducks or various charities. Famously, I have rejected all of those, whether it’s a reunion for Breakfast Club or The Outsiders or St. Elmo’s Fire or Young Guns, all of them,’ Estevez told Entertainment Weekly in March. 

‘Fortunately I’ve been able to have starred in movies that have stood the test of time and have a long shelf life, so a lot of folks have wanted to see reunions of where are they now.

Coach knows: He’s played the role a host of times, first starring in the classic film nearly two decades ago before the sequel took the kids hockey team to the Olympics in D2: The Mighty Ducks; seen in 1994

Not great: Emilio joins a growing list of celebrities declining the shot, including Ice Cube, real name O’Shea Jackson Sr., who recently exited Sony’s comedy Oh Hell No after declining a request from producers to get vaccinated; seen in 2019

‘So on one hand, it’s a blessing to have been involved in that but on the other hand, it’s like, I rarely, if ever, participate. So to come back do a Mighty Ducks reunion with replaying this role was a big step.’

Estevez reunited with original Mighty Ducks writer Steven Brill for the new series which came together while they were filming their 2018 film The Public, which Brill wrote and directed. 

Emilio joins a growing list of celebrities declining the shot, including Ice Cube, real name O’Shea Jackson Sr., who recently exited Sony’s comedy Oh Hell No after declining a request from producers to get vaccinated.

The 52-year-old West Coast rapper lost out on a $9million payday for declining the vaccination to work on the project which was supposed to film on the island of Hawaii, a state that has reported nearly 90% vaccination rates for residents 12 and older.  

Article source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10172497/Emilio-Estevez-not-returning-Mighty-Ducks-Disneys-COVID-19-vaccine-mandate.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490