It was announced on Friday that the original cast for The Mighty Ducks are set to reunite in an episode of the Disney+ remake.
But lovable goalie Greg Goldberg will not fly together with his former teammates.
According to TMZ on Monday, Shaun Weiss was not asked to return as his signature character for the spin-off series titled The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers which is set to premiere this week.
A source for the publication said that Disney had never officially reached out about including him on the reboot even though he had heard some rumblings from other stars of the film franchise that director Steven Brill had plans to bring him back.
GOLDBERG! According to TMZ on Monday, Shaun Weiss was not asked to return as his signature character for the spin-off series titled The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers which is set to premiere this week
‘What a journey and what a recovery!’: The 42-year-old actor celebrated one-year sober after years of meth abuse as his pal Drew Gallagher shared this encouraging snap in January
The insider added that Weiss doubted he would have been welcomed back anyway due to his criminal history.
Back in January 2020, he was arrested for meth and a burglary amid his struggle with drug addiction.
Things are turning around for the actor, however, as he has since celebrated his one year anniversary of being sober.
As shooting for the first season of the Disney+ show has wrapped including a reunion episode with the original cast of The Mighty Ducks, Weiss is optimistic that the series will be brought back for a second season and he will get the call for a return.
Return: The Mighty Ducks’ original stars are set to have a reunion in an episode of the classic film’s Disney+ remake, it was revealed on Friday (pictured: Emilio Estevez)
Interesting: A source for the publication said that Disney had never officially reached out about including him on the reboot even though he had heard some rumblings from other stars of the film franchise that director Steven Brill had plans to bring him back
The official trailer for the series was released last month and the TMZ source said that Weiss got goosebumps when watching it and thought it looked amazing.
Emilio Estevez had already been revealed to be returning as Coach Gordon Bombay in the The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers show, but Entertainment Weekly reported just days ago that even more stars are making a comeback in the sixth episode.
Elden Henson, Matt Doherty, Vincent LaRusso, Marguerite Moreau, Garret Henson, and Justin Wong are returning to their roles as Fulton, Averman, Adam, Connie, Guy, and Kenny respectively.
The episode will see Fulton invite Bombay to a small reunion at a pizza parlour, and Emilio said that while it starts as ‘super positive’ things go ‘of the rails’ quickly.
Newcomer: The Disney+ show follows 13-year-old Evan, played by Brady Noon (pictured), who is informed that he is being cut from an ice hockey team due to his inexperience on the rink
Shaun Weiss – who famously starred in the Mighty Ducks franchise of films in the ’90s – is celebrating one-year sober after years of meth abuse.
The 42-year-old actor’s pal Drew Gallagher took to Instagram on Wednesday morning to share a snap of the two of them at lunch at TGI Fridays together.
Shaun looked healthy as he smiled while looking into the camera as his friend pointed toward him with his thumb.
Drew – who is also an actor – captioned the image: ‘Happy 1-year-sober for @shaunweiss What a journey and what a recovery!!! So. Damn. Proud. @tmz_tv [prayer hands emoji] for help’
This comes just months after Shaun had a new top row of permanent teeth installed following multiple oral surgeries done to correct the damage done to his mouth from years of meth use.
Back in September, Drew shared an update on his condition to his GoFundMe page on Tuesday, along with a photo of Shaun looking better than he has in years as he flashed a bright smile.
Transformation: This comes just months after Shaun had a new top row of permanent teeth installed following multiple oral surgeries done to correct the damage done to his mouth from years of meth use
Looking good! At the time he celebrated 230 days in recovery from meth addiction and as an update was posted to his GoFundMe page in September
‘Got his permanent uppers installed,’ Gallagher wrote. ‘Getting closer to a full face of teeth.’
In the photo, Weiss smiled from ear to ear with his new teeth, showing off a his healthy, rounded face and a short trimmed beard.
At the time that the photo was taken, Weiss had celebrated more than 230 days sober after years of abusing meth and other drugs.
The Mighty Ducks actor has been making steady improvements since first seeking treatment for an addiction to meth.
‘Got his permanent uppers installed,’ his friend Drew Gallagher wrote on the page. ‘Getting closer to a full face of teeth.’
Throughout his recovery, friend and supporter Drew, has shared various updates on his condition and in August revealed that despite the long road ahead, Shaun was doing better than ever.
‘Weiss is thriving,’ he wrote. ‘His face and mouth feels like “tenderized meat” as he recovers from each oral surgery, but he is feeling blessed to be getting a new set of permanent teeth.’
The astronomical costs of the dental work are being covered generously by his dentist, Dr. Gabe.
‘Dr Gabe has covered all costs and it’s allowed Shaun to use the gofundme funds to pay rent at his sober-living as well as buy some groceries,’ Drew wrote in an update over the summer.
Before: Throughout his recovery, friend and supporter Drew (pictured), has shared various updates on Shaun’s dramatic improvement and revealed that Shaun’s extensive dental expenses are being taken care of by his generous dentist
Adding: ‘He’s even got an inexpensive laptop so he can access the internet. Still a long road ahead but growing each week!’
As of September, the page had raised over $13,000 in donations for the suffering child star.
Drew has also posted photos of Shaun throughout the process, providing visual proof of his improvements which went from gaunt and sickly to smiling and healthy.
When the donation page was started, the biggest hurdle in his recovery was seeking adequate dental care, which thankfully, came through.
‘Dr Gabe has covered all costs and it’s allowed Shaun to use the gofundme funds to pay rent at his sober-living as well as buy some groceries,’ Drew wrote in an update over the summer
‘Any Dentist willing to help Weiss that’s our current biggest need,’ Drew wrote in June describing his dire condition. ‘He has no teeth and it’s an added discomfort I’m trying to alleviate.’
According to the American Dental Association, methamphetamine use can lead to severe tooth decay and cause teeth to break or fall out.
While the drug is acidic and can wear down tooth enamel, meth can also lead to spells of dry mouth, which increase the likelihood of tooth decay, and the psychological effects of meth can lead users to go without regular brushing or proper dental care.
Shocking: In recent mug shots Weiss (here in January), looked extremely gaunt and disheveled. He was living on the streets and suffering from numerous health issues
The actor, who played Goldberg in Disney’s hockey-themed Mighty Ducks films, had been living on the streets, and had turned to crime.
In a mugshot from an arrest for burglary in January 2020, Shaun looked shockingly gaunt and disheveled after years of drug use.
Weiss finally got the help he desperately needed after he was released from jail and ordered by a Yuba County, California judge to complete a 90-day rehab program following a week-long detox at a center in Orange County, California.
Sources said at the time that the plan was for the Montvale, New Jersey native to finish an outpatient program and take part in a sober house program until he’s cleared to stay in a sober living home.
Good news: Weiss finally got the help he desperately needed after he was released from jail and ordered by a Yuba County, California judge to complete a 90-day rehab program following a week-long detox at a center in Orange County, California
According to TMZ, executives with an unnamed television series helped coordinate Weiss’s stint at the costly rehab facility. (A Mighty Ducks reboot is in production with Disney+.)
Weiss was taken into custody January 26 in connection with residential burglary and being under the influence of meth, and held on $52,500 bail, according to a release from the Marysville Police Department.
Police said that a resident in Marysville, California, a community about 125 miles northwest of San Francisco, contacted them after discovering Weiss on their property.
Responding officers said Weiss broke a window to slip into the vehicle he was found hiding in, in the garage of the home.
Claim to fame: Weiss is famous for playing goalie Goldberg in the 1990s Mighty Ducks franchise
Weiss, who was arrested on the spot, ‘displayed symptoms of being under the influence of methamphetamine,’ police said. The actor told police that he was trespassing and broke into the vehicle that was not his.
The actor has been plagued with drug and legal problems the past few years, as he was also arrested in connection with public intoxication in August 2018 in Oroville, California. He was also arrested for shoplifting in December 201.
Before that, in 2017, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail after he was arrested in connection with meth possession in Burbank, California.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is currently set to debut on March 26.
Support: According to TMZ, executives with an unnamed television series helped coordinate Weiss’s stint at the costly rehab facility. (A Mighty Ducks reboot is in production with Disney+.)