Fans have launched a petition aimed at The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm with the goal of getting Gina Carano rehired as Cara Dune on the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
The Change.org petition -- which has nearly 20,000 signatures at the time of this writing -- attributes Carano's firing to "cancel culture and Twitter," noting that "firing celebrities over their political views has been happening way too often, and once again, Hollywood has struck down another conservative. What she said may have been a little extreme, and I can even see why some people may have been offended, but her tweet was not made to incite violence or to express discrimination or hatred of any sort to any particular group."
On Feb. 10, #FireGinaCarano began trending on Twitter after the actor shared a post from another social media account detailing how strong fascist influence in Europe made it easier for Nazis to persecute Jews by first making the rest of the world hate them. The post ends by positing, "How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?" Carano herself is an outspoken conservative, and her comparing the treatment of Republicans to Jews during the Holocaust drew ire from fans.
Shortly after, Lucasfilm issued a statement, saying, "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
"And now, once again, a beloved actress has been fired for speaking her mind," the petition continues. "This petition is for the executives at Disney. Please, why can't you just leave politics out of the industry and press on? The Mandalorian is a fantastic show, and Gina Carano's portrayal of Cara Dune is a joy to watch. The Mandalorian wouldn't be the same without her."
Sources also noted a Cara Dune series was set to be announced at the Disney Investor Day presentation in December 2020 but the plans were scrapped in November after Carano shared social media posts suggesting the possibility of voter fraud during the 2020 Presidential Election and discouraging mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. Season 3 has yet to receive a premiere date.
Source: Change.org