Posted in: Disney+, Preview, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: cara dune, disney plus, gina carano, lucasfilm, preview, star wars, The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian EPs on Addressing Cara Dune's Gina Carano-Free Future

The Mandalorian EPs Rick Famuyiwa & Dave Filoni on addressing the future of Cara Dune after Gina Carano's dismissal from the Disney+ series.

It was back in early 2021 when we learned that Gina Carano (Cara Dune) wouldn't be returning to Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni's Pedro Pascal-starring The Mandalorian. After months of controversial social media posts that promoted far-out conspiracy theories & pseudo-science, a final line was crossed in an Instagram Stories post where Carano supported an allefory to what Jewish people suffered in Nazi Germany (see below). Now, Filoni and fellow executive producer Rick Famuyiwa (Season 3, Episodes 1, 7 & 8 director) are speaking with Deadline Hollywood regarding character's possible future with the series. What we learned was that Cara's future was a topic of discussion among the creative team and Favreau, and that the core focus of the series (Din Djarin & Grogu), as well as the show universe's vast cast of characters, were also taken into consideration.

"Cara [Dune] was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world. It had to be addressed in the creative, and [Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that. It was something that was discussed as we knew it was going to have impact on the show, but at the same time, what has been at the heart of the show are the two characters – Din Djarin and Grogu – so ultimately, it felt like a servicing of that, and around the Mandalorians," Famuyiwa explained. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the idea of a Cara Dune appearance in the third season. "It's a big galaxy, and we have many characters in it — many characters are fighting for their screen time. We'll just have to see as the season unfolds what the adventures are, but it's a great character, someone who was vital to Din Djarin's beginnings; we'll see if he has evolved beyond that," Filoni explained. "Now Season 3 is mainly dealing with Mandalorians and the Mandalorian saga, the Mandalorian tale," Filoni added. "(There's) different characters he's met since Bo-Katan (who) take a lot more prominence, which makes sense where his arc is going, the story of him and Grogu specifically." Our feeling? That the character will end up making a return after a major recasting.

The Mandalorian/Gina Carano: A Look Back

So back in May 2021, an article in Variety noted Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's update on Rangers of the New Republic and how it was "not currently in active development." Now "not currently in active development" didn't mean the project was dead since the narrative direction of the series was never officially confirmed. But then November came around, and Kennedy seemingly put the final nail in the coffin with an update revealing that the work that was done on "Rangers" was not going to waste. "We'd never written any scripts or anything on that. Some of that will figure into future episodes, I'm sure, of the next iteration of 'The Mandalorian,'" Kennedy said during an interview with Empire.

Of course, Carano getting the boot from Lucasfilm & Disney+'s original "Star Wars" spinoff series earlier that year after months of controversial social media posts that peddled whackjob conspiracy theories & half-assed pseudo-science while finding ways to insult the very fanbase that actually allowed her to collect a paycheck from "The Mouse" had a whole lot to do with that. It culminated in an Instagram Stories post where Carano supported comparing the "persecution" that she believes conservatives were enduring (especially with the COVID pandemic) with what Jewish people suffered in Nazi Germany. Check out a screencap of the image Carano posted above, which was reportedly the streaming service's final straw. Of course, the post was taken down to make it seem like nothing ever happened, which is why it's always good to have screencaps (we made out thoughts known on Carano having no one to blame bur herself here, here, here, here, and here).

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