It hasn't been too long since Gina Carano was fired from Lucasfilm over incendiary social media posts, and while the controversy has left many bickering over the minute details of her political history, many fans are simply wondering what will become of her character on The Mandalorian. While some reports suggested a recast was being considered, recent news is that Lucasfilm is not planning to recast or have the character return in future projects.
Carano started her career as an MMA fighter, which is where she built up her brand as a no-nonsense fighter and a force to be reckoned with in the ring. Recently she has begun to make a transition into film and television, using her physical fitness and athletic experience to play action heroines in several projects, the most recent/notable being Disney's The Mandalorian.
At the same time, however, Carano was also quite controversial for her social media accounts, where she has a history of inflammatory political statements. Previous incidents included Tweets that mocked people for wearing masks during the Coronavirus pandemic and suggesting that the 2020 election suffered from widespread voter fraud. Disney made the decision to cut ties with the actress after a post wherein she compared being a modern-day Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
While the decision to fire the actress was a surprise to many, behind-the-scenes reports indicate that Disney had been frustrated by her social media posts for some time, and the most recent controversy simply forced their hand earlier than expected. Soon after the firing news broke that the company had already cancelled a series where Carano was intended to star, and was already reducing her involvement in Star Wars properties.
So it's not a huge surprise that Lucasfilm is trying to distance itself from the character entirely. While some fans had hoped that Cara Dune, the former Rebel soldier on The Mandalorian, may be recast and continue to appear, it seems that will not be the case. A spokesperson for Lucasfilm has said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the character will not be recast for The Mandalorian, and will not appear in the upcoming Boba Fett show.
That doesn't mean Cara Dune will never return, it may still be possible for her character to show up in an animated series or novel at some point, separated from the controversy of the original actress. For the time being, however, it would seem that Cara Dune is too closely tied to Gina Carano herself, and it may be some time before Dune gets her second chance.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter