2022 is off to a great start for All My Children alum Josh Duhamel (ex-Leo du Pres). First, he shared that he and beauty pageant winner Audra Mari are engaged, and now comes news that he has landed a leading role in the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Duhamel will be playing the newly created character of Gavin Cole, a former NHL player turned coach who's "as inspirational, charming, and hard-core as he is big on the hockey metaphor that applies to life." Gavin runs the super-intense summer hockey institute where the Mighty Ducks will land for season two.
Duhamel's casting is said to help fill the void left by Mighty Ducks star Emilio Estevez, who exited the series in November following a COVID-related contract dispute with Disney's ABC Signature. Estevez played the beloved Mighty Ducks coach Gordon Bombay in both the series version of the franchise as well as in the iconic 1992, 1994, and 1996 films.
Duhamel will be joining returning season one stars Lauren Graham and Brady Noon in season two of The Mighty Ducks, for which a release date has yet to be given.
Duhamel starred as fan-favorite character Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children from 1999 to 2002. After leaving Pine Valley, the North Dakota native went on to star in Las Vegas, Win a Date with Ted Hamilton!, and the Transformers film franchise. He will soon be seen starring alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Shotgun Wedding, currently in post-production.
How do you feel about Josh Duhamel taking over as the lead of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers? Do you think he can match the charisma and popularity of Emilio Estevez's Gordon Bombay? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.