Darth Maul is returning to Star Wars, and Disney+ subscribers will get a front-row seat in 2026. The iconic double-bladed Sith apprentice, known for his ferocious combat style and striking appearance, is set to lead a new animated series titled Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord.
At Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, Lucasfilm confirmed the series, ending years of speculation.
“During the 20th anniversary Lucasfilm Animation panel at Star Wars Celebration Japan, surprise guest Sam Witwer took the stage to reveal his return to the galaxy as the star of the next animated series–Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord,” StarWars.com reported.
“In a new series set after the events of the final season of The Clone Wars, Maul rises again to lead the underworld factions,” the site added, noting that panel-goers glimpsed the series’ new animation style in an exclusive sizzle reel.
Rumors of a Disney+ project focusing on Maul have circulated for years. This announcement confirms Lucasfilm’s plan to explore his role as Crimson Dawn’s head, bridging the story between The Clone Wars and his appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).
“Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord is currently in production and will debut on Disney+ in 2026,” the official statement said.
Sam Witwer, the voice of Maul since The Clone Wars, shared fresh details at Rebel Scum Con. Shadow Lord occurs right after the Clone Wars, at the dawn of the Empire, giving fans a look at Maul navigating a galaxy he helped shape but no longer recognizes.
“It takes place shortly after the end of the Clone Wars,” Witwer explained. “So this is the very beginning of the Empire. And Maul, he was helping to make the Empire for a while until he quit working for Palpatine…this guy is looking around, going, ‘Is this what we had in mind? ‘Cause I didn’t think it was going to be this.’”
The actor described Maul’s alienation from the new order: “Maul comes from a land of magic, and color, and knights, and dragons… now all of that is dead. And the magic and the colors [are] being sucked out of the galaxy by this mechanical, maniacal Empire… Maul is going like, ‘What happened to the Jedi Knights?’”
Rather than portraying Maul solely as a power-hungry villain, Shadow Lord frames him as a reflective figure watching the galaxy lose its spirit. Fans can expect an introspective, conflicted Maul, caught between his past loyalties and a world governed by the Empire.
Maul first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace (1999), played by Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz. He killed Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) before his apparent death at Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hands (Ewan McGregor).
Resurrected in Star Wars: The Clone Wars by his brother Savage Opress (Clancy Brown) and Mother Talzin (Barbara Goodson), Maul created the Shadow Collective, battled Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and survived Order 66. He later appeared in Star Wars Rebels as a manipulative, vengeful figure, culminating in his final duel with Obi-Wan on Tatooine. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) reintroduced him as the Crimson Dawn leader, portrayed by Park and voiced by Witwer.
Star Wars Celebration 2025 also confirmed Shawn Levy’s Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter, set five years after Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and starring Ryan Gosling. Production has started, with a May 28, 2027, release date.
With Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord, Lucasfilm is revisiting one of its most intricate characters while exploring a darker, uncharted chapter in the galaxy far, far away.
