Reports: Emilio Estevez Leaving Disney's 'Mighty Ducks' Series over Vaccine Policies

Actor Emilio Estevez won’t be returning to the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers after he reportedly refused to comply with the production’s COVID-19 vaccination policies.

ABC Signature, which produces the hockey-themed comedy series, has decided not to renew Emilio Estevez’s option for season two after the the star declined to confirm that he would comply with the vaccine policy, according to reports from Deadline and Variety.

The streaming series reportedly requires vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone in “Zone A,” which includes all actors and crew members who come into contact with them. It remains unclear whether or not Estevez is fully vaccinated.

NO. CHILL. 🚨❄🏒 #EmilioEstevez is BACK as Gordon Bombay! Check out this photo from production on The Mighty Ducks, an Original Series coming soon to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/SSVEDUuO4w

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) February 13, 2020

Deadline reported that sources close to Estevez indicated that creative differences may also have played a role in his exit.

Estevez reprised his role of Gordon Bombay for the Disney+ series after playing the role in the original 1992 movie and its sequels.

Watch below:

While there is no industry-wide vaccination mandate in Hollywood, individual TV and movie productions can impose their own mandates on cast and crew members.

Estevez’s departure from The Mighty Ducks series comes after actor-rapper Ice Cube left the Sony movie Oh Hell No after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ice Cube reportedly walked away from a $9 million paycheck after declining a request from the movie’s producers to get vaccinated.

Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at [email protected]

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases