The Mandalorianexecutive producers Rick Famuyiwa and Dave Filoni have finally touched on the uncertain subject of Gina Carano as Cara Dune in the future of the Disney+ series. After Carano was fired from the belovedStar Warsshow in the wake of season 2, it’s been unclear how her character would be handled going forward. But now, it looks like some of the folks in charge are finally ready to talk.
Carano was officially fired fromThe Mandalorianin 2021 following a series of hateful comments she posted on social media regarding Jewish people, among other similarly tasteless subjects. This set off a bit of a chain reaction, resulting in such changes as the halting of production by Hasbro on Cara Dune action figures and what appears to be a quiet cancelation of the previously plannedStar WarsseriesRangers of the New Republic, which would have starred Carano’s character in a lead role. Understandably, neither Disney nor Lucasfilm had any desire to draw attention to the matter. But fans were still curious about what they can expect, especially now that season 3 is finally upon them.
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Speaking withDeadlinein a recent interview, Famuyiwa and Filoni addressed the elephant in the room. “Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world,” Famuyiwa said. “It had to be addressed in the creative and [series creator 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.”
Lucasfilm had previously said there areno plans to replace Carano as Cara Dune onThe Mandalorian, but many assumed that just meant she would be written out. It looks like that may not be the case. “It’s a big galaxy and we have many characters in it — many characters are fighting for their screen time,” Filoni added. “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.”
It sounds like a bit of a non-answer, butFiloni wasn’t done speaking about thisStar Warsseries. “Now Season 3 is mainly dealing with Mandalorians and the Mandalorian saga, the Mandalorian tale,” he continued. “(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.” So while it seems like he and Famuyiwa aren’t really in the position to directly answer questions, they appear to be hinting something pretty heavily. Cara Dune still exists as a character, but apparently she’ll just so happen to spend the current season (at least) off-screen to make way for the more prominent characters and stories.
It may not be what fans were hoping for, but it’s better than saying nothing, and certainly preferable to simply bringing Carano back.Favreau has already said thatThe Mandalorianseason 4 is in the works, so maybe things will be more ironed out by then. But for now, seeing Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin going on adventures with Grogu again has got to be more than enough.
The Mandalorianseason 3 airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+ starting March 1st.
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