In Disney+’s new take on the much-loved hockey trilogy, the Ducks are no longer the heroes, following in line with a string of rule-rewriting sports movie reboots
The played out formula of the sports movie has seen a noticeable refresh in recent years. Rather than sticking to the dog-eared playbook (good guys win, bad guys lose), reboots of the blueprint-writing originals have mixed things up, switching allegiances and perspectives.
In Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid series that started on
YouTube before finding its audience on
Netflix, the original antagonist is now the hero. In the Creed series, the white-led Rocky franchise now focuses on the once-sidelined black characters. And in Disney+’s new Mighty Ducks series, based on the original trilogy of films, the likable underdog ice hockey team has turned sour with success.