Gina Carano’s Canceled Star Wars Series Just Ended Up Becoming Part Of The Mandalorian
Season 4 of The Mandalorian may end up following a story that was originally intended for Gina Carano in Rangers of the New Republic.
In 2020, Lucasfilm announced Rangers of the New Republic, a spin-off of The Mandalorian following the Nevarro marshal Cara Dune, played by Gina Carano. Carano was fired from her Star Wars role following a controversial post on social media, and according to ComicBook.com, it seems one story element of Rangers of the New Republic was absorbed into The Mandalorian Season 3 finale with Din Djarin taking over Dune’s role.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced Rangers of the New Republic at Disney’s 2020 Investor Day. Executive produced by Dave Filoni, a chief creative force behind Star Wars shows, Rangers was expected to expand the post-Return of the Jedi timeline established by The Mandalorian as Gina Carano suited up again to shut down surviving remnants of the Empire.
The Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian saw Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, take on the role originally thought to be for Gina Carano in the Rangers series. Din Djarin is contracted by the New Republic to help rangers hunt down lingering pieces of the Empire. He settles on Nevarro to work alongside the new marshal, a rebuilt IG-11, once again played by Taika Waititi.
Carano’s character was explained away in the season premiere, with Carl Weathers’ Greef Karga explaining that Cara Dune had joined a team of “Special Forces.”
Season 4 has not been officially announced, but The Mandalorian creator, Jon Favreau, teased that the season is written. It is expected to feature Din Djarin making good on his contract to hunt down remnants of the Empire. Sound familiar?
With Gina Carano out of Lucasfilm’s picture, it seems that Pedro Pascal is stepping into the role originally intended for her. As of November 2021, no scripts for Rangers had been written. It is unclear if the series will continue, or if its concept will be folded into The Mandalorian.
The exit of Gina Carano is far from the first time personnel shake-ups have altered Lucasfilm’s plans. Several Star Wars projects have been scrapped or repurposed since The Force Awakens reignited the franchise in 2015. Of everything the company has done since, The Mandalorian has been the most well-received.
Lucasfilm announced plans to culminate The Mandalorian’s post-Return of the Jedi saga with a movie directed by Dave Filoni. The film was one of several announced at the latest Star Wars Celebration, which also included updates on Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film featuring the return of Rey, as well as a movie from director James Mangold detailing the origins of the Jedi.
It seems Filoni’s film will be without Gina Carano, but will likely include several other fan favorites coming together for an epic event. Carano was fired from Lucasfilm in 2021. She had apparently been a source of frustration for a while, and an offensive political post on Twitter was the tipping point for Lucasfilm.
The firing of Gina Carano may have disrupted Lucasfilm’s plans for Rangers of the New Republic, but it seems the studio is still getting its money’s worth on the idea for the series by retooling it for use in The Mandalorian. Rangers may still come to fruition with different characters, but for now, Lucasfilm is banking on its biggest star: Mando.
