Gina Carano may be gone from The Mandalorian – but Cara Dune won’t be.
In a recent article by The Hollywood Reporter, it was reported that an insider suggested that the role of Cara Dune – Gina Carano’s former character – would be recast “down the road”. This is due for two reasons – story and merchandise.
Where story is concerned, Disney’s decision makes sense. The Season 2 finale left Dune on Moff Gideon’s ship with Mando after Luke Skywalker took Baby Grodo to be trained as a Jedi Knight. Leaving Cara’s fate unexplained would be a mistake, given that she’s a major character on the show and a sudden halt to her arc would feel unnatural.
Merchandising reasons are also understandable, as Cara Dune remains a popular character on the show. Several toys have been made of the character, including Vinyl Pop figures. Two more action figures were scheduled for release, one of which was reported to be part of the Black Series 6 Line, but were cancelled following Carano’s firing. By offing the character completely, Disney are possibly losing out on a lot of money in regards to merchandising and viewer participation.
The rumors surrounding Cara Dune’s recasting come after the controversial decision to fire Gina Carano for an equally controversial social media post. The 38-year-old actress had long come under fire for her divisive views, regarding trans pronouns and the usage of masks during COVID. She was reportedly warned of her online behavior, but after her most recent post, the Powers-That-Be felt she was too much of a liability to remain employed.
This means that any hopes of a Cara Dune spin-off are put to bed – at least for Carano. Whether a newly-recasted Cara Dune could have her own series in the future is anyone’s guess.
