WWE superstar, Sasha Banks has confirmed that she will not be returning in the third season of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.
During an interview with Graham Matthews of Bleacher Report, Banks spoke about The Mandalorian and was asked about the possibility of her reprising the role of Koska Reeves in the third season, to which Banks said, “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. 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.”
Last year Banks previously denied appearing in any other episodes besides Chapter 11, but Banks’ Koska Reeves appeared in the season two finale despite her saying otherwise. As it’s come to be expected these days, we cannot always take denials from actors appearing in the Star Wars universe. Banks denying her involvement in the third season of The Mandalorian could be truthful and there has been no word if Banks reprised her role of Reeves for The Book of Boba Fett.
Some fans have already started speculating that Banks may not have been asked back as she was previously seen liking tweets and Instagram posts supporting anti-masks and anti-vaccination, and perhaps Disney and Lucasfilm did not want a repeat of the Gina Carano debacle earlier this year.
It’ll be a surprise not to see Koska Reeves return as the finale of The Mandalorian season two set up a conflict between Din Djarin and Bo Katan with fans assuming the third season will focus more on said conflict and Mandalore. It was also recently reported that The Mandalorian production is to fill around 75 suits of Mandalorian armour and those Mandalorian’s could answer a call from Djarin and arrive in his aid.
The Mandalorian season three has been filming primarily at Manhattan Beach Studios since late September and is expected to film until March. Lead, Pedro Pascal, is currently in Canada filming HBO’s The Last Of Us series, an adaptation of the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. Pascal has been filming the series since July and the series is due to film until June. Pascal is expected to return to film scenes as Din Djarin eventually during gaps in his The Last Of Us schedule, but for now his stunt doubles are acting as Din as they did for the vast majority of season one and some of season two.