It is not a stretch to say that The Mandalorian has been one of the biggest successes to come from Disney+. The show debuted along with Disney's streaming service, launched multiple upcoming spin-offs, and is now heading into its third season; however, not much is known about Season 3, including a release date.
According to some new leaked set photos and a small portion of the cast starting to shoot, it is clear that Pedro Pascal's bounty hunter is not far from returning with a brand-new adventure.
Last season, viewers were treated to the live-action debut of some beloved Star Wars characters. Ahsoka and Bo-Katan made the jump from series such as The Clone Wars and Rebels to stellar results. Bo made her first appearance in "The Heiress," the third episode of the second season, and did so alongside a whole new crew of Mandalorian warriors.
One of Ms. Katan's posse was Koska Reeves, who was portrayed by WWE superstar Sasha Banks. Back while season two was airing, Banks lied about only appearing in one episode of the series (she later showed up in the finale). As such, much speculation has been had regarding Banks' character and if she would be back in the role anytime soon. Now, fans may finally have an answer.
One and Done for Sasha Banks?
In an interview with Bleacher Report, WWE's Sasha Banks denied rumors that she would be returning in The Mandalorian Season 3. When prodded on the subject, Banks point blank said "I'm not on the next season," but loved being a part of "a franchise that is so huge and so loved:"
"First of all, thanks for trying to get that out, but I'm not on the next season... 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.
The famed wrestler mentioned that despite not coming back for Season 3, "It [will be] something [she] will always take with [her]," and she is excited to be a part of "this whole new Hollywood world:"
"It was something I will always take with me and I took so much of what I learned from acting with them and being with so many great stars to WWE. It really helped my confidence as well when I came back from doing The Mandalorian two years ago. It was such a learning curve and something I wasn't expecting, but now I'm in this whole new Hollywood world and it's going amazingly. I'm so excited for the fans, and I can't wait for my fans to see what's next.”
Don't Bank(s) on This One
While at this moment Banks claims to have no plans of rejoining Pedro Pascal and Grogu for another adventure in The Mandalorian saga, do not fully count her out. Nobody is ever gone from franchise storytelling in this day and age.
Fans should be a little careful in how much weight they put into Banks' quotes. Banks has straight-up fibbed about her appearance in the series before, and with evidence pointing to Bo-Katan showing back up, Koska would most likely come in stride. It has been proven in Star Wars before, no one is ever really gone.
Banks is just one Bo-Katan call for help away from showing back up in the franchise. And not to say Disney would follow this logic, but after they fired Gina Carano earlier this year, if the studio wanted to continue involving the stars of the combat arts in their monster franchises, they could do a lot worse than Sasha.
So, sure, Reeves is gone from Star Wars for now, but she is one announcement away from returning to the franchise.
The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Disney+ now.
