MMA fighter turned-actress Gina Carano once looked set to have a bright future as part of the Star Wars franchise. Cast as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, she soon became a recurring presence in the Disney+ series and plans were put in place for the Rebel hero to take centre stage in a now-cancelled spin-off titled Rangers of the New Republic.
In 2021, Carano started stirring up a lot of controversy on social media after sharing her thoughts on the pandemic, the 2020 election, and views many deemed transphobic and antisemitic.
As a result, she was fired from the series, and essentially blacklisted in Hollywood. These days, Carano primarily stars in movies made for The Daily Wire, an American conservative news outlet, with the latest effort - Terror on the Prairie - making only $804 (yes, you read that correctly) at the North American box office.
When The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Newby mocked how badly the actress "[fumbled] the bag" by missing out on "her own Star Wars series, toys, books, comics, [and] apparel," Carano quickly went on the offensive.
Accusing the writer of harassing her, the former Cara Dune suggested her dismissal from The Mandalorian came as a result of her not "[going] along with the sell-out narrative," blaming "the online mob" for petitioning to get her fired. She goes on to once again share her views about the media, though we won't delve into her political leanings here.
Lucasfilm isn't expected to recast Cara Dune, and we still haven't had any explanation for her disappearance. Whether she'll receive a passing mention in The Mandalorian season 3 remains to be seen, but it's possible the character will be forgotten and remembered as little more than just another ally Din Djarin and Grogu crossed paths with along the way.
The Mandalorian returns to Disney+ on March 1.