Dave Filoni Says STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD Will Bring George Lucas’ Original Vision to Life
There’s a new chapter in the Star Wars universe on the way, and it’s diving deep into one of the franchise’s most dangerous and fascinating villains.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is set to expand Darth Maul’s story in a way that actually reaches back to ideas from George Lucas himself.
According to Dave Filoni, this isn’t just another animated series, it’s a continuation of something that’s been quietly evolving for years.
Filoni recently opened up about how much of the show is rooted in conversations he had with Lucas, and it sounds like this project is as much about legacy as it is storytelling. Filoni told StarWars.com:
"Maul is a character that's our responsibility. George [Lucas] and I had had some talks about Maul over the years and what his plans for Maul had been.
“And so I felt it was a way of honoring that future that we were going to have and finally bringing some of it to light."
That’s a pretty exciting angle when you consider how Maul has been handled over the years. After making his live-action debut in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Maul’s story continued through Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels , both guided by Filoni.
The character evolved into something much more layered than a silent assassin with a double-bladed lightsaber.
What makes Shadow Lord especially interesting is how it connects to ideas that never made it into the sequel trilogy. Lucas originally had plans for Maul to play a major role in the future of the saga, alongside Darth Talon, as a central figure on the dark side.
Instead, the Lucasfilm and the creative team ditched those ideas and films focused on Supreme Leader Snoke and the return of Emperor Palpatine. Now, it looks like some of those abandoned concepts are finally getting explored.
The series picks up about a year after Star Wars: The Clone Wars, placing it in that gritty gap between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Maul is rebuilding, trying to reclaim power in a galaxy now ruled by the Empire. But the real twist is that he won’t be doing it alone. He forms an unexpected alliance with a young Jedi Padawan, which already sounds like the kind of tension-filled dynamic that Star Wars thrives on.
Sam Witwer, who has become the definitive voice of Maul over the years, teased how much the character has changed in this era. His perspective on the galaxy has shifted in a way fans probably wouldn’t have expected back in The Phantom Menace days.
"He was trained to hate and destroy the Jedi without ever questioning it. Now he’s looking at the galaxy going, 'Boy, we could sure use a Jedi Knight or two.'
“At least with the Jedi you knew where they stood. There’s something to respect there. This Empire, he sees no values there, just the naked grab for influence, power, and money."
That tells us Maul is rethinking everything he was taught. He’s still dangerous, still driven, but now operating in a galaxy that’s arguably worse than the one he helped tear down.
The rest of the oice cast has Gideon Adlon playing Devon Izara, Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, and Richard Ayoade bringing a bit of personality to the droid Two-Boots.
With Filoni steering the ship and Lucas’ unused ideas finally getting their due, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is sure to be something awesome for longtime fans to dive into. It’s digging into unexplored territory while still staying connected to the core DNA of the saga.
The series premieres on Disney+ on April 6, and I can;t wait to wtch it!