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."
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."
