The Star Wars world was recently rocked with some big news. Gina Carano, who played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, is no longer a part of Lucasfilm. She will no longer be a part of any future projects within the franchise. As such, a major character who had become quite popular, just behind Mando and Baby Yoda, is either gone for good or about to be radically changed. With that, the question must be asked; what does this mean for Rangers of the New Republic?
During Disney’s big investor day presentation several months back a huge slate of new Star Wars shows were revealed to be in development for Disney+. Much of this had to do with the success of The Mandalorian. Several of these shows are to be set in the same universe. Specifically, Ahsoka, which will center on Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano, and Rangers of the New Republic. Not much else has been revealed about the show but, during the presentation, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said the following.
“Set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, these interconnected shows, along with future stories, will excite new audiences, embrace our most passionate fans and will culminate in a climactic story event.”
Now, for those who have been following The Mandalorian, Gina Carano’s Cara Dune had, herself, become a Ranger of the New Republic. It stands to reason that her character was going to be a big part of that show. Lucasfilm, as well as executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, may need to do some major retooling behind the scenes as a result.
Gina Carano had come under fire several times in the past for her social media activity. Much of it was leaning far right politically. The last straw came when she shared an Instagram post likening being a Republican in the modern day to being a Jewish person during the Holocaust. Lucasfilm, in a statement, said “her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” One report stated that “Lucasfilm planned to unveil Carano as the star of her own show during a December investor’s day presentation but scrapped those plans following her November tweets.” Also noting that Rangers of the New Republic “could have potentially starred Carano.”
It seems safe to say Gina Carano was going to be a big part of this interconnected series of shows within the Star Wars universe. So, what options does Lucasfilm have on the table? They can simply restructure Rangers of the New Republic with a different lead character, while keeping the premise intact. Assuming that’s possible. Again, little information has been revealed about the series.
The other, obvious option is recasting. The studio could, and will likely at least consider recasting the role of Cara Dune. Speculating as to who could step up to fill those shoes is another question for another time. That said, there would surely be no shortage of actors out there who would be happy to take a big role within the Star Wars franchise. Lucy Lawless has been presented as a popular option on social media. Gina Carano’s loss could become someone else’s golden ticket.
No matter what route Lucasfilm decides to go, this will mean big changes on screen and behind the scenes. An actor who was playing a major character in one of the most popular shows on TV right now, set within one of the biggest franchises on the planet, is gone. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the situation develops. News of Gina Carano’s departure was previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter.