Gina Carano’s Star Wars Comeback Back on the Table After Lucasfilm Talks
Fired from The Mandalorian, Gina Carano is eyeing a Star Wars comeback and says she has spoken with Lucasfilm about returning.
If you followed the first couple seasons of 'The Mandalorian', you definitely remember Gina Carano as Cara Dune—until she wasn’t. Carano was dropped from the show after putting her opinions online where Disney and Lucasfilm could see them (and really didn’t like them). She sued them for wrongful termination and discrimination. That battle dragged on for a while, but the two sides eventually agreed to a settlement. Turns out, things might not be as frozen over between Carano and Lucasfilm as everyone thought.
Zoom Calls and Fresh Starts?
Carano just popped up on The Ariel Helwani Show and dropped some news that probably surprised a lot of people. She said she's already chatted with Dave Filoni (the new guy in charge of Star Wars, in case you missed it) and Jon Favreau after her lawsuit wrapped up. Apparently, the vibe on the call was positive—almost like nobody ever went through that whole public firing/lawsuit mess.
'After we settled the lawsuit, we got on a Zoom call. It was really nice. Dave Filoni is taking over CEO of Star Wars, and it’s like we didn’t even miss a beat. Jon Favreau was really funny. He got on the Zoom and was like, "So, where did we leave off?" We hadn’t spoken for a while.'
If you’re wondering how the lawyers managed to make everyone so friendly, here’s Disney and Lucasfilm’s official statement after settling with Carano:
'The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit against the companies. Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect. With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.'
The Spinoff That Wasn’t
Before everything imploded, Carano was expected to headline a Star Wars spinoff called 'Rangers of the New Republic.' This was officially announced back in 2020. But after the controversy, Lucasfilm axed it. According to big boss Kathleen Kennedy, the show never even made it to the script stage—just a lot of concepts and what-ifs, some of which apparently got recycled into regular 'Mandalorian' episodes. So if you were looking for that show to resurface, don’t hold your breath, but expect the leftovers to keep showing up elsewhere in the galaxy.
Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey: The Fight Nobody Saw Coming
If you imagined Carano’s next act would be back on Disney+, think again. She’s heading to the MMA cage for a match-up that’s been years in the making—Gina Carano is fighting Ronda Rousey live on Netflix on May 16. Yes, really. Both women have been out of the octagon for ages, so for MMA fans, this is some serious nostalgia bait. Carano even said:
'Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for and it has been her dream to make this fight happen between us. She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. This is an honor. I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome. This is as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.'
Quick Recap in Case You Lost Track
- Gina Carano played Cara Dune and got cut from 'The Mandalorian' after some controversial online posts.
- She sued Disney/Lucasfilm, they settled, and apparently the mood is weirdly optimistic now.
- Possibility of Carano returning to Star Wars? Not off the table, if you take those recent Zoom conversations at face value.
- Her spinoff show? That’s dead, but some of its ideas might linger in 'The Mandalorian'.
- Before any new acting gigs, we’re getting Carano vs. Rousey on Netflix in May.
If someone predicted in 2020 that Carano would go from galactic rebel to headlining a Netflix fight card with Ronda Rousey—and maybe circling back to Star Wars after all the drama—I’d say they were seriously overcaffeinated. But here we are. Would you want to see Cara Dune back in Star Wars? Let’s see what actually shakes out.