With social media being so omnipresent and actors having the means of directly communicating with fans, there’s always the risk that an actor will say something racist, sexist, homophobic, or just plain stupid for the world to see. And when that happens, studios just have to hope the actor in question isn’t currently part of their projects. In the case of Gina Carano’s social media fallout that happened back in 2021, where she posted something anti-Semitic in addition to her typical transphobic and/or generally offensive comments, the actress also happened to be part of the “Star Wars” franchise as a major character in “The Mandalorian.” So, as we approach the return of the series (sans Carano), how will the show handle the departure of her character, Cara Dune? Well, the producers of “The Mandalorian” are still being a bit coy about the whole situation.
In an interview with Deadline, “The Mandalorian” executive producers Rick Famuyiwa and Dave Filoni talked about the fallout of Gina Carano not being part of the new season of the series. In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be much of an issue but Carano’s Cara Dune factored in pretty heavily in the first two seasons, and if they choose not to mention her in Season 3, it might be a little strange for viewers. But then again, they can’t use Carano, after she was effectively fired from the show and then let go by her agency as a result of her tweets. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t, I suppose.
“Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world. It had to be addressed in the creative and [showrunner Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that,” Famuyiwa said. “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.”
That would appear to point to an in-canon answer to why Dune is no longer in “The Mandalorian.” Or perhaps they cast someone else in the role and continue on as if nothing happened? Filoni, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved with his answers.
“It’s a big galaxy and we have many characters in it — many characters are fighting for their screen time,” Filoni said. “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.”
He added, “Now Season 3 is mainly dealing with Mandalorians and the Mandalorian saga, the Mandalorian tale. [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.”
That said, Filoni does admit that Cara Dune is “a great character,” but he said that there just isn’t enough “time and space” for all of the characters he wants to use.
“‘The Mandalorian’ in the title is the story about the Mandalorian and his people,” he said.
So, how will “The Mandalorian” deal with the departure of Carano? In typical “Star Wars” fashion, there are a whole lot of non-answers right now. It does sound as if the quick answer is that the story just won’t call for an appearance by Dune. So, the workaround is to just not answer anything and move on.
We’ll likely find out a bit more when “The Mandalorian” Season 3 debuts on Disney+ on March 1.