Gina Carano may not see the inside of a courtroom for her lawsuit against Disney until late 2025, but she’s already gearing up for a future showdown against the mouse house.
The ex-Elite XC and Strikeforce fighter filed a lengthy lawsuit against Disney after she was fired from her role as Cara Dune in the Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian. Her exit from the show came after Carano made several controversial posts on social media, including a post that that seemingly compared living as a conservative in the United States to the atrocities suffered by the Jewish people during the holocaust in Nazi Germany.
With backing from Twitter owner Elon Musk, the now 42-year-old former fighter filed a lawsuit against Disney. Just last week, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett denied a motion to dismiss from Disney, which set the stage for an eventual trial.
New paperwork filed by Carano’s attorneys and Disney reveal potential witness lists as well as a possible start date for the trial — if the lawsuit makes it that far.
The attorneys proposed a start date on Sept. 29, 2025 with the trial expected to last one week.
Among Carano’s witnesses who could potentially be called to testify in the trial were series star Pedro Pascal, series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and former Disney CEO Bob Chapek.
In her original lawsuit filing, Carano argued that she faced retribution for her behavior on social media, but the same actions weren’t taken against Pascal and other male members of the cast.
As for Favreau, he championed Carano’s inclusion on The Mandalorian where she appeared in multiple episodes throughout the first two seasons. There were tentative plans for Carano to potentially crossover and star in one of the roles on a spinoff series called The Rangers of the New Republic, but the show was eventually scrapped.
Carano also listed United Talent Agency as a potential witness after she was released by her talent agency following the controversial social media posts.
While all the various arguments could face scrutiny in court, Carano and Disney definitely disagree about the definition of her employment at the time she was allegedly fired from her role. In the original statement released in response to Carano’s controversial social media posts, Disney representatives said she was “not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.”
Obviously, Carano and her attorneys believe otherwise.
Carano is seeking damages for the loss of her employment, the loss of future employment, emotional distress, punitive damages, equitable relief and attorneys’ fees. Carano also sought to regain her employment with Disney so she could resume her role on The Mandalorian.
Several dates are proposed for disclosures, discovery and other motions to be filed with the attorneys targeting September 2025 for the trial date. It remains to be seen if Disney goes to court, or potentially reaches a settlement with Carano, before that happens.
