Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight

Before she takes on Deadpool, we’re looking back at all the Gina Carano movies and TV shows!

Long before Ronda Rousey became a MMA crossover sensation in film, Gina Carano paved the way. Carano established herself as an MMA superstar and slowly made her transition into acting. Admittedly, Carano’s early films were more notable for her fighting skills than her acting, but she’s shown considerable improvement across an increasingly diverse range of projects.

Next month, Carano will be portraying Angel Dust in the Deadpool movie, a lesser known character from Marvel’s comic book universe. But because Angel Dust is one of the main antagonists in Deadpool, it could considerably raise Carano’s profile again.

Before Deadpool opens on February 12, ComingSoon.net has assembled a retrospective of her Hollywood career to date. And it looks like 2016 is going to be a good year for Carano!

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Fight Girls (2007)

Imagine if the Oxygen network attempted to ape Spike’s “The Ultimate Fighter” by making a reality show following female MMA fighters. That actually happened nine years ago, when “Fight Girls” made its debut. But the series only lasted a single season.

Carano was one of the mentors on the show, and “Fight Girls” turned out to be her first Hollywood credit. And despite the early end of the show, “Fight Girls” still looks better on her resume than her two years on NBC’s “American Gladiators” revival.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Blood and Bone (2008)

It takes a certain amount of ambition to attempt to make the leap from MMA to movies. Blood and Bone was Carano’s first film, and she wasn’t alone. Fellow MMA fighters Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, and Maurice Smith were also in the cast that was headlined by Michael Jai White.

Carano only had a small role in this direct-to-video film, but at least her character’s name was memorable: Veretta Vendetta.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Haywire (2011)

Haywire is the movie that really got people to notice Carano. Despite Carano’s relative lack of experience, director Steven Soderbergh put her in the film’s leading role as ex-Marine Mallory Kane and essentially built the film around Carano’s fighting abilities. Carano did most of her own stunts when facing off against a much more established supporting cast, including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, and Antonio Banderas.

Haywire’s staging was impressive and Carano’s action sequences were highly praised. However, some critics were not as high on Carano’s acting abilities and they weren’t shy about saying so.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Prior to landing Deadpool, Fast & Furious 6 was Carano’s biggest movie to date. She played Riley Hicks, the right-hand woman of DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and Carano had very memorable fight scenes with Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty Ortiz.

For reasons that become clear in the movie, Carano won’t be back for any further Fast & Furious sequels… which is a shame. If certain facts hadn’t come to light during Fast & Furious 6, Letty’s fight with Ronda Rousey’s Kara in Furious 7 could have been the dream MMA match that we’ll never see: Carano vs. Rousey.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: In the Blood (2014)

While In the Blood once again put Carano in the leading role, it felt like a step backwards after Haywire and Fast & Furious 6. In this film, Carano played Ava, a woman who attempted to find her husband, Derek (Cam Gigandet), after he went missing during their honeymoon in the Caribbean.

But In the Blood was a very low-budget, direct-to-video film that was barely seen. And the critics who did see it had nothing good to say about it.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Almost Human (2014)

Fox’s short-lived sci-fi series “Almost Human” gave Carano her first TV gig as an actress. She played Danica, an out of control military grade android who gave John Kennex (Karl Urban) and his android partner, Dorian (Michael Ealy), more than they could handle. But it was only a one-shot guest spot and the series was over a few episodes later.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Heist (2015)

When tracking Carano’s career, it appears that her progression actually went backwards. She was starring in theatrical films and then somehow she fell back into direct-to-video movies. Heist continued her DTV adventures, but at least she was surrounded by a surprisingly impressive cast including Robert De Niro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dave Bautista, Morris Chestnut, and Kate Bosworth.

But if you’re checking out Heist solely for Carano, feel free to skip this one. She only has a small role as a cop in this movie.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Extraction (2015)

In Extraction, Carano had third billing after Bruce Willis and Kellan Lutz, but the movie was a bomb even by direct-to-video standards. The story revolved around Harry (Lutz), a CIA agent rejected for field work who embarked on an unsanctioned mission to rescue his dad, Leonard (Willis).

This film was given a limited release in theaters last month, where it earned just over $16,000. That kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool represents a big opportunity for Carano to regain some of the momentum of her earlier career. The early buzz on the film is that it could be a strong mid-level performer for 20th Century Fox, despite Deadpool’s relatively unknown status outside of comic book fandom.

In a way, it’s fitting that Carano is playing Angel Dust, a character so obscure that even Marvel fans barely have an idea about who she is! Angel Dust was created for the short-lived Morlocks comic book series, and then promptly written out of the X-Men related titles. Her powers include super strength and enhanced speed. For some reason, lines appear on her face when she uses her powers.

For the purposes of the Deadpool film, Angel Dust is being envisioned as the right-hand henchwoman of the villain, Ajax (Ed Skrein). So if nothing else, we should get a Deadpool vs. Angel Dust fight scene.

Gina Carano Movies and TV Spotlight: Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)

While Deadpool is Carano’s highest profile project in a long time, it’s not her only movie this year. She is also co-starring in Kickboxer: Vengeance, a reboot of the Kickboxer movie from 1989.

Carano is the female lead of Kickboxer: Vengeance, alongside Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista, and original Kickboxer star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Carano is playing a fight promoter named Marcia, but hopefully she’ll get to throw a few punches in the film itself.