Star Wars actress Gina Carano has thanked tech billionaire Elon Musk for “funding” her wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney and its film production company Lucasfilm after settling a dispute over her 2021 firing from the hit show “The Mandalorian.”
Carano filed the lawsuit in a federal court in California last year, claiming she was dropped from “The Mandalorian” for expressing right-wing views on social media.
“I want to extend my deepest most heartfelt gratitude to Elon Musk, @elonmusk a man I’ve never met, who did this Good Samaritan deed for me in funding my lawsuit. Thank you Mr. Musk and @X for backing my case and asking for nothing in return,” Carano wrote on X Thursday.
She added: “I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter. My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me.”
It appears, at least from a public perspective, despite the lawsuit, Carano and Disney have left things amicable with its film company leaving the door open for the 43-year-old actress to make a return.
“Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect,” Lucasfilm said in an unsigned statement.
It continued: “With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
The specific terms of the settlement are unclear.
The two sides stipulated in a federal court filing Thursday the case should be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled.
A judge still needs to formally dismiss it. The case had been scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles next February.
The lawsuit alleged Carano was wrongfully terminated from the Disney+ series after two seasons due to a post likening the treatment of American conservatives to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.
Her posts were widely criticized online and spurred a trending #FireGinaCarano hashtag.
The suit had alleged that the actress was fired because she “dared voice her own opinions” against an “online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
Carano is a former mixed martial artist who played the recurring character Cara Dune on the show, which launched in 2019 and ran for three seasons.
A feature film starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” is set for release next summer.
Carano had previously been criticized for mocking mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and making false allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
