D4: Ducks In Space: 3D!

In Space... No One Can Hear You Quack

No film series is safe. No trilogy sacred. Indiana Jones, Rocky, Rambo, Superman, Star Wars, Scream; they've all returned to multiplexes after decades away from the screen. But none were more deserving of continuation, more certain to set the box office on fire, than the eagerly anticipated 4th entry in The Mighty Ducks Saga.

And for good reason. Unarguably the high point of Emilio Estevez's illustrious career, the cultural touchstone that launched Joshua Jackson onto the world's stage amidst such unforgettable characters as Goldberg the goalie, the little asian kid, the cute kind of asian looking girl and Fulton Reed, united families across the civilized world in their love of good clean fun, hockey, and the Flying V.

With the critically acclaimed Donnie Darko, Southland Tales and The Box already under his belt, 35-year-old Virginian Richard Kelly was a natural choice to bring this beloved franchise into the 21st-Century.

"I spent a good deal of my adolescence alone in my room," Kelly told GQ in the summer of 2009, "and I was always obsessing over my VHS collection, re-organizing the tapes on my shelves by title or director or studio, I was obsessed. One Friday night, I don't know why, but I got the idea to organized them by animal. Crazy, right? All the dog movies together; Incredible Journey, Beethoven, Turner and Hooch, that kind of thing. Anyway, I remember putting Howard the Duck next to D2: The Mighty Ducks, just for a laugh, and this spark went off in my mind. It was extraordinary. All of a sudden this incredibly intricate story of hockey and horror and alien ducks took root in my mind. That was when I decided to become a film-maker."

Couch Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) and Howard (voice by Chip Zien) confront the evil Syther (Gary Oldman, off-screen).

Kelly's initial draft of the D4 screenplay ruffled some feathers with studio executives, who were looking for something more in keeping with the original trilogy's Disney Channel sensibilites. "We were not prepared for hard science-fiction," said Disney's Robert Iger, "but you don't hire someone like Richard Kelly so you can tell him what to do. He's an auteur. We let him do his thing."

Taking place in the 2016, twenty years after we last saw the Ducks hit the ice and win their scholarships to Eden Hall Academy, D4 introduces us to a new Coach Bombay. His dreams of hockey championship glory just a distant memory, even though the Interplanetary Cup is about to begin, he makes ends meet working in the engine room of a transit shuttle to Mars.

Despite the large amount of excited hockey fans, it seems like any other flight, until he runs into a familiar face; Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson), the Earth team's hottest ticket and great hope in the tournament. It's an uneasy reunion. The last time the two had met, Bombay was apologising for breaking Charlie's mother's heart.