Well, it happened late last night. Disney and Lucasfilm made the decision to fire Gina Carano from her role as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian. It set forward a couple things in the Star Wars landscape, not only do they need to replace her on The Mandalorian, they might need to replace her on Rangers Of The New Republic. People are already talking about who could replace her on the show. Cara Dune was a badass, through and through. So you need someone stepping in that can replicate that look and feel of the character. Who would Disney turn to in this time of turmoil? Let’s find out.
1. Lucy Lawless
She played Xena the Warrior Princess, need I say more? If you want someone to play the badass Cara Dune, who better than Lucy Lawless? Some might say she’s too old for the role, but she still looks great. It would also be a wonderful way to introduce people to the greatness of the Xena: Warrior Princess show. Lawless is also known for her inclusiveness and multi-talented singing and acting career. It would be almost too perfect of a fit for the character.
2. Ronda Rousey
So you want someone who’s a legit badass and can act reasonably well? There’s already the WWE connection in The Mandalorian from Sasha Banks. Ronda has an acting career that might not be as illustrious as others, but she definitely fills the badass description needed for a character like Cara Dune. With roles in Furious 7 and The Expendables 3 showing that she can handle big-budget action, it might be time for Rousey’s career to take off again.
Gina Carano had a bigger build that Rousey, but if we’re just going to recast her without an explanation (which they should do), then Rousey might be the perfect fit from multiple angles. She’s still young, and she has shown a want to do acting. Rousey gets eyes on the product still. No matter what you might say from the end of her UFC career, she still is a draw. Her WWE career only furthered that star power.
3. Don’t Recast Her, Just Let The Character Go
At the end of the day, the saga of The Mandalorian could end with that second season, even though it won’t. Cara Dune didn’t really need a grand character arc, because she was a side character to the main event of Din and Grogu. So if we get to a third season and she’s not around, it’ll be a bit jarring, but this is Star Wars. We can explain anything. She’s not a big enough character to the narrative that she needs a grand explanation of where she went. Sure, it would be awesome to see someone like Lucy Lawless or Ronda Rousey take up the mantle of the character, but bringing those actresses on as other characters would be equally cool.
That’s the beauty of Star Wars. We can get new characters that have good backstories and they’re accepted. If they have the right motivation, any character can be a great on in this universe. So right now, a lot of people are up in arms and inflamed by the news of Carano’s firing, but by the time the third season of The Mandalorian rolls around, we’ll all be back for more.
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