5 Years After Disney Firing, Gina Carano Shares Surprising Update on Star Wars Return

After serving as an important part of the first two seasons of Star Wars: The Mandalorian in her role as Cara Dune, Gina Carano was controversially fired by Disney in 2021. Five years later, following a lawsuit against Disney concerning her firing, the door is starting to open for her potential return.

Prior to her rise in acting, Carano had a successful career as a mixed martial artist. She's returning to MMA next month for a highly-promoted fight against Ronda Rousey, set to stream live on Netflix on May 16. To promote the battle, Carano recently took part in a new interview with Ariel Helwani. She was asked about the possibility of returning to acting now that her legal battle with Disney is over, and Carano revealed that she's already had promising talks about that with Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni and The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau.

Cara Dune's Star Wars Return Has Been Discussed

"I've already had a conversation with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, really lovely," she said. "You know, after we settled the lawsuit, we got on a Zoom call. It was really nice. Dave Filoni is taking over as [Chief Creative Officer] 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 he's like, 'So, where did we leave off?' We hadn't spoke for a while, and he's like, 'Where did we leave off?' They've been in that world a long time."

On seeing a bright future for herself as a performer, she continued, "You know, I think you have a decision in life. You can go left, and you can just completely give up on yourself, and wallow in pain and regret, and all of that, or you can go right, and you can get your sh*t together, and you can say, 'No. I'm going to do everything I can.' I've chosen to go that direction, and I feel more alive than I've ever felt."

The Disney vs. Gina Carano Legal Battle Ended in 2025

The issues between Carano and Disney started with controversial posts on social media, where the actress shared her thoughts on sensitive topics including COVID-19 measures, election claims, and gender identity. After sharing an Instagram post that appeared to compare the treatment of U.S. conservatives to Jewish people during Nazi Germany, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that they would no longer work with Carano. She was subsequently written out of The Mandalorian and plans to develop a Cara Dune-focused spinoff were reportedly scrapped.

For her part, Carano claimed she was fired for expressing conservative political views, arguing that there was a double standard compared to her left-leaning co-stars like Pedro Pascal. In 2024, she sued Disney and Lucasfilm with the backing of Elon Musk, arguing wrongful termination and discrimination. The following year, the legal dispute was officially settled, and a statement released by Disney at the time seemingly indicated that future collaborations were possible.

"The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit against the companies," the statement noted. "Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect. With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”