5 years after she was very publicly sacked from Star Wars, former Mandalorian star Gina Carano could be set to return to the franchise after a new update. The MMA star played Alderaanian mercenary turned New Republic marshal Cara Dune, appearing in 7 episodes across the first two seasons before the character was recruited off-screen for the New Republic Special Forces and didn’t return. She joined the bracket of supporting characters who quietly disappeared with a hand-wave in-universe, like Happy Days’ notorious Chuck Cunningham and Ross’ son Ben in Friends.
In reality, Carano was sacked in February 2021after a series of social media posts that were characterized by the studio as “abhorrent and unacceptable.” That led to a high-profile 2024 lawsuit funded by Elon Musk, which was subsequently settled in 2025. And now Variety reports that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel for Carano. The article quotes a Disney representative: “With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.” There’s nothing more specific, but it does go on to say that she has already spoken to Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, and the star is quoted as saying the unexpected meeting was “really nice.” That certainly suggests wheels are turning.
Star Wars Canceled Gina Carano’s Future
It’s unclear where Cara Dune could return in Star Wars, given The Mandalorian and Grogu is just around the corner and presumably comes too soon. And while there were plans for The Mandalorian Season 4 before the production transformed into a movie, it still feels highly unlikely that LucasFilm will turn away from the plan to bring things together into a Thrawn event movie. That ongoing continuity does represent an oportunity for Dune to join the fight against Thrawn further down the line, though.
Carano previously spoke about her possible return and the conversation with Filoni and Favreau: “Who invites you back? Is there one person? I’ve already had a conversation with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. Really lovely. 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 spoke for a while.”
While the timeline is unclear on those conversations, it being after the settlement suggests it could have happened as far back as in 2025, which makes a return to Star Wars in the near future less unlikely. Perhaps The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t completely out of the question? Could we see her return alongside Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Carson Teva, who basically replaced her role? Or will Cara Dune fans have to wait until the next project after The Mandalorian and Grogu?
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