Gina Carano was reportedly making between $25,000 and $50,000 per episode on The Mandalorian, and while that pales in comparison to television’s highest-paid stars, losing out on a guaranteed annual income that amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to hit her hard in the pocket.
However, the real money-spinner for being part of a massive franchise comes from merchandising and royalties, with the majority of the principal cast members involved in any marquee property tending to have a cut of the profits from anything bearing their likeness written into their contracts.
The cost of Cara Dune action figures may have skyrocketed following Carano’s dismissal from the Disney Plus smash hit, but those are transactions happening between third-party vendors, so it’s not as though the actress is going to see any of that money. Things could be about to get a lot worse, too, with insider Daniel Richtman claiming that Lucasfilm are planning to basically erase the character from Star Wars continuity entirely.
According to the tipster, Dune won’t be appearing in any future video games, comic books, novels or any sort of Mandalorian tie-in media, essentially cutting Carano off financially for good. While royalty checks are hardly a major windfall on an individual basis, should they accumulate over years and even decades, then it turns out to be a steady cash flow, especially when the expanded multimedia universe surrounding Star Wars is worth billions on an annual basis.
The former MMA fighter has already moved on from The Mandalorian, but she could end up feeling the financial effects in the future, especially if she finds herself struggling to secure work that pays anywhere close to a comparable level.
