But Carano was nowhere to be found during the long presentation. In preparation for the event, Carano had become a lightning rod among Star Wars fans and a headache for Lucasfilm, after a series of tweets in which mask imitation, suggested electoral fraud occurred during the 2020 elections and shared posts that some considered transphobic. “She was originally in that presentation when they announced all of these things, and they took her away from it,” said a source The Hollywood Reporter.
Two months later, the deal for her spinoff is dead, as is her relationship with Lucasfilm and UTA, both of whom abandoned her after she shared a post suggesting that being Republican today was similar to being Jewish in the time before the Holocaust. . Disney declined to comment beyond Lucasfilm’s initial statement describing Carano’s posts as “abominable and unacceptable”.
Still, Disney’s decision to show Carano the door sparked screams from the right, including from Senator Ted Cruz and commentator Ben Shapiro, that the studio acts when the left is upset. Along with events in 2018, when then-ABC president Channing Dungey called a tweet from Trump supporter Barr, who compared the Obama administration’s Valerie Jarrett to a primate, such allegations have advertisers advising clients to avoid politics , especially anything tilted right.
“I don’t know what people at Disney believe or don’t believe personally when it comes to politics, but as a corporate entity, they want to be as trouble free as possible. And anything that offends the left is a problem, ”says the public relations representative for the crisis, Juda Engelmayer. “I have clients who are making an extraordinary effort to post what the social left wants to see.”
Black Panther December tweets by star Wright, which enlarged the video of a UK minister questioning the safety of the new coronavirus vaccine and discrediting trans people, also received criticism, as well as an August 2019 social media post Mulan star Liu, who offered support to the Hong Kong police during the government’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Sources say none of the actresses have been contacted by Disney, which has chosen to let the two issues go over. (Wright deleted his Twitter account and Liu withdrew from the matter in the months leading up to Mulanlaunch of).
Politics, however, seemed to play a role in Disney’s initiative to break ties with Gunn in 2018, after right-wing personalities resurfaced, nearly a decade-long tweets that included eyebrow-raising jokes like: “I like it when boys touch me my silly place. “At the time Gunn reiterated an apology, stating on Twitter:” Many people who followed my career know, when I started, I saw myself as a provocateur, making films and telling outrageous and taboo jokes. I discussed it publicly many times, as I developed as a person, my work and my mood also evolved. ”A year later, Disney brought him back to direct the third Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy.
The decision to ban Carano from the Disney kingdom was greater than Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau and was made by Lucasfilm executives. Carano, sources say, was repeatedly warned by those around her about her behavior on social media, with the actress even noting publicly in September that she Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal, who has a trans brother, taught her about the use of pronouns after an outbreak on social media. “She knew it would alarm people,” said a person in orbit about his recent posts. “Why would you put Favreau in that position?”
Carano’s expulsion had a domino effect, with Hasbro ending production of its popular Cara Dune action figures. (Hasbro says “there are no current plans to create more” Dune products.) Amazon appears to have withdrawn most of its goods from Cara Dune toys. When asked about the reason, an Amazon representative declined further comments. Meanwhile, Dune’s stock numbers are having vigorous sales on eBay at prices well above the original list prices.
Insiders say Cara Dune was not part of the next Star Wars series, a Boba Fett spinoff, but they expect the character to be remodeled in the future, for reasons of history and merchandising. A Lucasfilm source says that a reformulation is not expected. For his part, Carano will be producing a film with Shapiro’s Daily Wire. “I am sending a direct message of hope to everyone who lives in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian crowd,” said Carano on February 12. “I just started using my voice, which is now more free than ever, and I hope it is. inspires others to do the same. “
Carano’s dismissal has reached an inflection point for Lucasfilm, which was previously criticized for not more strongly defending the stars of the Star Wars trilogy John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran from online racist bullying over the years. On January 23, the company signaled a change by issuing a statement of support to Krystina Arielle, host of the The High Republic Show, after being subjected to intimidation and racist threats.
Industry watchers note that, for companies like Lucasfilm, taking a stand against offensive behavior sends a signal to employees and fans from marginalized backgrounds that they are valued. “You need an inclusive and welcoming tone defined from above,” says André Carrington, author of Speculative blackness: the future of race in science fiction and Associate Professor of English at the University of California, Riverside. A manager who has outspoken clients and dealt with elements of the cancellation culture is advising vocal clients to cool down politically. The manager says: “If you are too far from both sides, it will hurt”.
February 16, 15:57 PST Updated to add a Lucasfilm source saying that Cara Dune’s role in The Mandalorian it is not expected to be reformulated.
A version of this story appeared in the February 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.