Goodbye Cara? The Mandalorian Director Sheds Light on Gina Carano Controversy
The silence about a fan favorite character's absence is broken.
Star Wars director Rick Famuyiwa, who helmed episodes 1, 7, and 8 of the show's third season, and executive producer Dave Filoni have finally addressed the future of the character of Cara Dune.
Gina Carano, the actress who brought the character to life in the show's first two seasons, was fired in early 2021 after several controversial social media posts about political issues, preferred pronouns, and masks, which eventually led to a serious backlash that prompted many on Twitter to use the hashtag #FireGinaCarano.
The announcement was particularly significant due to numerous rumors that Carano's character would receive her own spin-off Disney Plus series. However, the fan love hasn't saved her from the inevitable fallout.
In an interview with Deadline, director Rick Famuyiwa and executive producer Dave Filoni finally broke the silence on the matter. Rick explained that Cara remains a part of the show's world, while Din Djarin and Grodu are still "the heart of the show".
"It had to be addressed in the creative, and [Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that. 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," he said.
Dave Filoni elaborated on the statement:
"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."
When asked if fans have been demanding Gina's return, he said that he gets requests all the time for all kinds of characters and that the hardest thing is finding time and space for everyone out there.
It appears that there are no plans to bring Cara Dune back into the Star Wars universe, and she's reportedly been removed from any future appearances in other shows as well.
The Mandalorian season 3 premiered on March 1st on Disney Plus.