STAR WARS Goes Retro as MAUL - SHADOW LORD Embraces Painted Glass Backdrops
The upcoming Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord series is doing something pretty awesome by looking backward to move the franchise forward. Instead of relying entirely on modern digital shortcuts, the creative team behind the new animated Star Wars show leaned into the same old-school techniques that helped define the look of the original trilogy.
For the cityscape of Janix, the artists went back to basics and literally painted the background. In a conversation with the official Star Wars site, Vice President of Lucasfilm Animation Athena Portillo revealed that the team embraced traditional matte glass painting methods to give the world a more tactile, lived-in feel.
"Cinematography, Lighting and VFX Director Joel Aron really took it up a notch with going back to the practical ways of capturing brush strokes by painting them on glass, shooting them, then strategically placing them in shots. He even went back to establishing matte paintings on canvas," Portillo said.
That approach is straight out of the original trilogy playbook. Back when Star Wars: A New Hope was made, massive environments like Cloud City, Hoth, and the Death Star interiors were brought to life using huge glass panels painted by hand and composited into shots.
It was a practical and cost-effective way to create scope without building massive sets. The difference here is that Maul – Shadow Lord layers animated characters over those painted backgrounds instead of live-action performers, giving the show a striking hybrid look.
You can already see that technique on display in the first trailer and poster for the series, where the thick, visible brush strokes jump off the screen. The textures give Janix a gritty, stylized personality that feels intentionally handcrafted rather than overly polished.
Story-wise, the series is set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and centers on Maul at a dangerous crossroads.
According to the official synopsis, the Sith Lord is "plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who may just be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge."
Sam Witwer is back once again to voice Maul, reprising the role he previously played in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. He is joined by Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, and Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots.
Star Wars: Maul – The Shadow Lord premieres April 6 on Disney+ and will roll out weekly episodes leading up to Star Wars Day on May the 4th. I’m so excited to watch this!