The Mandalorian star Gina Carano no longer employed by Lucasfilm

Gina Carano in The Mandalorian — (Image credit: Disney)

Lucasfilm has announced Gina Carano, who portrays Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, no longer works for the production company following controversial social media posts shared by the actor.

Carano faced criticism after posting an image on her Instagram feed comparing contemporary American politics to Nazi Germany. Her story also included memes mocking the mask mandate in California that was issued by the California Department of Public Health in response to the spread of COVID-19. The posts have since been deleted, but the Twitter hashtag #FireGinaCarano was trending shortly afterward. This controversy comes after months of complaints from Star Wars fans about Carano's social media presence.

On Wednesday evening, Lucasfilm issued a statement (via io9) on the matter, calling Carano's behavior "abhorrent and unacceptable," and explaining that the company no longer employs the actor and had no plans to reverse course.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the statement reads. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable," the statement reads.

Lucasfilm has not shared anything about its plans for Carano's character now that she's no longer part of the show. We will likely hear whether they plan on recasting the role or simply doing away with the character in the coming months. With Lucasfilm stating that it has "no plans to reverse course" that means we can write Cara Dune out of the Rangers of the New Republic spin-off that was announced last December, as well. The Mandalorian wrapped its critically acclaimed second season in December, and since it's one of the most-watched shows of 2021 so far, it's no surprise that The Mandalorian season 3 is well underway and likely coming in 2022.

If you've finished season 2 and don't know what to do with yourself, check out the best TV shows of 2020 for something else to watch.