Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord will finally fill in the gaps between The Clone Wars and Solo: A Star Wars Story/Star Wars Rebels. Exploring Maul's mindset as he goes from Sith Lord to crimelord, the series promises to be a must-watch for fans of The Phantom Menace villain.
Sam Witwer reprises his role as Maul, and recently spoke with Star Wars Insider (via The HoloFiles) about what fans can expect from the character's continued evolution.
"He’s confused, and a little apprehensive," the actor shared. "We pick up after The Clone Wars. The Empire has taken over, and Maul’s reassessing everything. There were plans in place that were supposed to insulate him from the changes when the Empire came to power, and a lot of the people that were supposed to be there for him were not."
"He’s getting back on his feet, the dust is clearing, and he’s looking around at the Empire— the thing he and his master had been working toward since he was an apprentice—and thinking, 'Is this what Palpatine had in mind? How do I feel about this?'"
Witwer added, "He’s very angry at Palpatine. He understands now that that guy is the root of his suffering. In Shadow Lord he sees it even clearer. Everywhere he looks in the Empire, he sees Palpatine’s hand. If Maul’s going to shake his fist at him, he has to believe he’s somehow superior to Palpatine. If he’s not, then he deserves everything that happened to him."
He'd go on to reveal that the Mandalorian Rook Kast is "his first lieutenant, and their relationship is interesting because Maul actually listens to her. He’s learned that people have valuable points of view and that, unlike Palpatine, he needs to hear bad news sometimes. So, he’s figuring out what it really means to be a shadow lord."
For longtime fans of the character, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord will also address his past, including the fallout from his brother's death at the hands of Darth Sidious. "You don’t dare bring this character back unless there’s something interesting to say," Witwer said of Savage Opress.
"He’s exploring who he is and also thinking about his brother, Savage Opress, his first apprentice and family. Did he treat him as well as he should’ve, considering how loyal Savage was? No. But now he’s finally assessing that and realizing, 'I failed him.'"
As of now, we don't know whether the show is planned as a one-off or a multi-season story that also covers the ground we expected the Solo sequel to explore.
Dave Filoni's animated TV shows have been a hit with Star Wars fans. With the Sith Inquisitor Marrok set to appear before he became one of Grand Admiral Thrawn's undead puppets in Ahsoka, the show should also feed into the new Lucasfilm President's wider plans for the franchise.
Thanks to Collider, we also have a new still from Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, along with the cover of Star Wars Insider.
Set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord finds Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit of revenge.
The voice cast includes Sam Witwer as Maul, Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Oscar nominee Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots, Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario, Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson, Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, David C. Collins as Spybot, A.J. LoCascio as Marrok, and Steve Blum as Icarus.
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord was created by Dave Filoni, based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas. The series was developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz, with Brad Rau serving as supervising director. Executive producers include Dave Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Matt Michnovetz, Brad Rau, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes. Alex Spotswood is the co-executive producer.
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord premieres on Disney+ on April 6.