As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, former ‘The Mandalorian’ star Gina Carano recently filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm, which will be funded by the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Centering on allegations of discrimination and wrongful termination, the legal battle stems from Carano’s controversial departure from the Star Wars franchise in 2021 due to her social media posts. According to THR, Musk stepped in to fund Carano’s lawsuit, due to his commitment to supporting free speech.
Three years after her departure from the role of Cara Dune, Carano’s legal action seeks reparation for what she claims was a firing rooted in discrimination and a refusal to conform to the companies’ political and social viewpoints.
Filed in a California federal court, the lawsuit accuses Disney and Lucasfilm of harassing and defaming Carano for her comments on topics such as Black Lives Matter, preferred pronouns, and election interference claims.
Why Was Carano Fired?
Disney and Lucasfilm’s decision to part ways with Carano was due to a social media post that drew severe backlash, which compared the political climate for Republicans in the United States to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. This was described by Lucasfilm as ‘abhorrent and unacceptable.’
Elon Musk’s involvement comes through X Corp’s financial backing. This a gesture that goes along with Musk’s previous promises to cover legal fees for users of the social media platform X who allege discrimination. This support was confirmed by Joe Benarroch, head of X’s business operations.
The lawsuit details a series of events leading up to Carano’s firing, including alleged pressures to conform to specific viewpoints, attempts to mandate public apologies, and comparisons of her situation to those of her male co-stars, who faced no repercussions for potentially offensive social media posts.
Carano’s legal demands include not only financial compensation but also a recasting in her role as Cara Dune.
Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.
