'Rangers Of The New Republic' Reportedly No Longer In Active Development
This week, Star Wars fans got excited when they found out that Dave Filoni has the title of Executive Creative Director at Lucasfilm. Many people reported on this, and even we thought that this was a recent development. However, a Variety report claims that he was quietly given this title last summer, and the title only just recently showed up on the Lucasfilm website. Perhaps even more surprising about that report, however, is the following assertion, as it listed upcoming live-action TV shows in which Filoni is involved:
"In December, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced that Filoni and Favreau are executive producing several “Mandalorian” spinoffs for Disney Plus, including 'The Book of Boba Fett,' which is currently shooting and premiering in December, and 'Ahsoka,' starring Rosario Dawson, and based on the character Filoni created in 'The Clone Wars.' (A third announced spinoff, 'Rangers of the New Republic,' is not currently in active development.)"
Back in December 2020, on Disney Investors Day, Lucasfilm announced upcoming shows that were in development. One of them was Rangers of the New Republic, which was set to take place in the same time period as The Mandalorian, alongside the aforementioned shows Ahsoka and, as we would later learn about, The Book of Boba Fett. However, the announcement came at a time when Cara Dune actress Gina Carano's working relationship with Lucasfilm was called into question, given her posts on social media that have been reported upon time and time again.
Some found it odd that this show was not announced as "The Cara Dune Show." Just looking at the events of The Mandalorian Season 2 from an in-universe perspective, it made sense that the character of Cara Dune would have her own adventures now that she was given the New Republic title of Marshal. However, the announced title was very ambiguous, seemingly allowing some wiggle room in case Lucasfilm did not want to make Cara Dune the main character of the series. After all, we had seen a couple of New Republic X-Wing pilots in The Mandalorian who could theoretically open the door to adventures with other characters. On top of that, there have been rumors that Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels could become a main character of the series.
Of course, Gina Carano's working relationship with Lucasfilm ended earlier this year. The TV series, however, was not announced to be cancelled. So fans went on believing that the show would still be happening, and that perhaps it was being reworked. However, with this Variety report, which does not even drop many details about the series, has led many to call the future of the series into question. There has been no announcement of Cara Dune being recast, so naturally some believe that the situation is, "No Cara Dune, no show."
However, nothing is really official until we hear an announcement from Disney and Lucasfilm. It is even possible that the series may not even be cancelled, but rather stalled for the time being as Lucasfilm tries to figure out how to move forward from here. Perhaps this would mean that certain plans for the live-action TV shows would have to be shifted around from what was originally planned. For some, it might be ideal to just go ahead and believe that the series is cancelled so as to not be shocked if an official announcement about such a thing comes about in the future. On the other hand, the possibility of the show simply being stalled for the time being could fuel hope for those who would still like to see a New Republic-focused show, either with a recast Cara Dune or without the character entirely. Again, we will just have to wait and see whether there ends up being any official word on the matter.
Source(s): Screen Rant, Variety