The Mandalorian season 3 won’t feature Sasha Banks, AKA Mercedes Varnado, the actor has confirmed.
“I’m not on the next season,” she told Bleacher Report (opens in new tab). “But it was incredible being on The Mandalorian on Star Wars. To be on a franchise that is so huge and so loved, just look at the reception from fans outside of the WWE Universe. It was the best feeling of all time. The projection of that show was overwhelming. I legit felt like I was in a galaxy so far, far away. I felt like I was on a different planet.”
Banks joined the Star Wars series in its second season, playing a Mandalorian allied with Bo-Katan Kryze named Koska Reeves.
While Banks isn’t returning, we do know that Pedro Pascal is back as Din Djarin, while Carl Weathers returns as Greef Karga, and Giancarlo Esposito is back as the villainous Moff Gideon.
Season 3 has finally started filming, and though the plot is being kept under wraps, there are plenty of storytelling opportunities to pick up on from season 2. For one thing, there’s the Darksaber, which is now in Mando’s possession rather than Bo-Katan’s. Then there’s Baby Yoda, who was whisked away for Jedi training by Luke Skywalker in the season 2 finale.
“I am going to get this child [Grogu], and it’s for a very different reason than many people think,” Esposito said recently. “This child has magic powers, 50 years old, and can see the future, and we want everyone to know, eventually on this show, that this child could save our universe.”
The Mandalorian season 3 doesn’t yet have a release date, but it’ll be arriving after The Book of Boba Fett, which lands on Disney Plus this December 29. Until then, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.