The Mandalorian is moving to the big screen, but a canceled TV spinoff has received an unexpected boost. Star Wars is back as a theatrical franchise in 2026, with The Mandalorian and Grogu the first movie outing since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Disney+ has been the focus in the period since then, and in particular, Lucasfilm has worked on expanding the “Mandoverse,” with the success of the Pedro Pascal-led series also leading to The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.
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The future of these shows, and Star Wars on Disney+, is now looking uncertain as the Mouse House makes a slight pivot away from streaming and back towards its releases being cinematic events. Still, there is more to come: Ahsoka Season 2 is currently being filmed, with an expected debut sometime in 2026. Next year will also bring Maul: Shadow Lord on the animated side, though that’s very much distinct from The Mandalorian‘s timeline. No live-action shows are confirmed beyond the second season of Ahsoka, but after recent developments, could one be making a comeback?
Rangers Of The New Republic Could Return In Some Way
When Lucasfilm was building out The Mandalorian part of the Star Wars galaxy, its initial plans included three related shows: The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Rangers of the New Republic. The first two of those have happened, but the third was quietly shelved after the firing of Gina Carano, who played Cara Dune in The Mandalorian and was expected to lead the series, due to controversial social media posts (though the cancellation and firing were never officially linked).
The firing led to a lawsuit between Carano and Disney/Lucasfilm, with the actress suing over discrimination and wrongful termination. That has now been settled, which prompted talk of Carano’s potential Star Wars return, and not just among fans of the franchise. In an official statement, Lucasfilm said: “With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
Setting aside any moral debates about whether Carano should return (which is usually easier for Hollywood execs than it is for audiences), what this points to is a return not only being plausible, but perhaps even likely. Both sides have shown a clear willingness to work together again, and if that were to happen, then Carano reprising the role of Cara Dune would make the most sense. The character wasn’t written out in a way that prohibits a return, and what’s more, Star Wars’ future remains somewhat dependent on the New Republic storyline that she was a crucial element of.
Lucasfilm presumably still wants more live-action TV shows, and bringing back plans for Rangers of the New Republic would be a simple way of delivering that. More importantly, there are still plans for everything – including The Mandalorian and Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 – to build towards Dave Filoni’s culminating event-style movie (which may or may not be a new take on the classic Expanded Universe story Heir to the Empire).
Rangers of the New Republic could form part of that but, even if it’s not made as its own show, it’s not hard to imagine Cara Dune being involved in some other projects to flesh out that story more, or at least return in the movie itself. It’s too late for her to be added to The Mandalorian and Grogu, given it has already finished filming (barring reshoots), but Cara being worked into Ahsoka Season 2 or some as-yet-unannounced project sounds feasible.
Star Wars Has Tried & Failed To Replace Rangers Of The New Republic
Rangers of the New Republic may have been dropped as a separate TV show, but the idea itself never really died. Instead, it’s already been reworked into other projects. Notably, The Mandalorian Season 3 and Ahsoka Season 1 each had New Republic plotlines, both of which felt like they were probably lifted from the canceled series and retooled to fit those respective shows. That will also continue with The Mandalorian and Grogu, after Season 3’s ending established them doing missions for the New Republic, but it also highlights why returning to Rangers in some way could be tempting to Lucasfilm.
The New Republic stories were among the more divisive elements of The Mandalorian Season 3 and Ahsoka Season 1. In the former, the episode “The Convert” isn’t bad, but felt out of place. Similarly, the story with Hera Syndulla and Mon Mothma in Ahsoka Season 2 is also let down by being written like it’s a completely different show. Star Wars clearly needs to push its New Republic plot forward so everything can come to a head with Thrawn, but it’s struggled to do so in a satisfying way, and that’s likely in part because Rangers was canceled.
Of course, there could’ve been ways around this without Carano – such as giving the spinoff to Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). It’s also possible that the series wouldn’t have worked regardless, given the Disney+ shows have been rather hit or miss, and so the appetite for Rangers of the New Republic may well have dissipated. As Star Wars’ New Republic era forges ahead, though, don’t be surprised to see Cara Dune, now of the New Republic’s Special Forces, playing an important role once again.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released on May 22nd, 2026. All episodes of The Mandalorian are currently streaming on Disney+.
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