While a lot of details about The Mandalorian season 3 are being kept under wraps, there is one thing we know for certain: Gina Carano's bounty hunter Cara Dune will not be returning for the latest installment of the Star Wars spin-off.
Carano was fired from the series in February 2021 after controversy surrounding posts on her social media accounts. "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," read a statement issued at the time. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
While it seems clear that the actor will not be returning to the franchise, what does that mean for her character? Cara Dune was last seen in the season 2 finale when she helped Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and the Imperials.
Executive producer Rick Famuyiwa, who's also directing three episodes of season 3, addressed the issue in a recent interview with Deadline. "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 [Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that," he 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."
When Deadline asked if that meant Cara Dune was still out there, bounty hunting, executive producer Dave Filoni added: "It’s a big galaxy and we have many characters in it – many characters are fighting for their screen time. 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."
The new season of The Mandalorian is set to explore the consequences of Din Djarin removing his helmet at the end of season 2, while the season 3 trailer sees him meeting up with Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and gives us our first look at live-action Mandalore.
The Mandalorian season 3 premieres on Disney Plus on March 1 with new episodes every Wednesday. In the meantime, get up to speed with the galaxy far, far away with our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order, all of the new Star Wars movies and TV shows, and our breakdown of the Star Wars timeline.
