If you watched Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as a child, you’ll certainly remember the thrill of fear when Darth Maul – the sinister Sith Lord with a red and black face, yellow eyes and a crown of horns – appeared on screen for the first time. He attracted attention not only for his grotesque look but also for his unique weapon and acrobatic fighting style, which caused the Jedi plenty of trouble.
Although this dark-side adept made a strong entrance and showed plenty of potential, he disappeared from the universe after just one film. Luckily, after many years, Maul has found his way back to the Star Wars franchise, appearing here and there in various Disney productions.
Finally, one of the most charismatic villains in Star Wars has his own series – the the Dave Filoni-led animation will debut on streaming this spring.
Who is Darth Maul?
The demon-faced warrior first appeared in 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the first film in the prequel trilogy that tells the story of Anakin Skywalker, the father of Leia and Luke.
Darth Maul was a mysterious new enemy of the Zabrak race, coming from the planet Dathomir. Since childhood, he was trained by Darth Sidious, AKA Palpatine, to become a Sith Lord. Throughout the movie, Maul became known as a master of duelling – his trademark weapon was a red, double-bladed lightsaber.
However, at the end of The Phantom Menace, Maul is defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi in a fight on planet Naboo, cutting him in half.
Even though everything pointed to Maul’s death at the hands of the Jedi, after many years, George Lucas decided to bring the character back. In 2012, the sinister warrior emerged in season 4 of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
As it turned out, thanks to the dark side, Maul survived the clash with Obi-Wan. Mutilated and consumed by madness, a decade later, he was found by his brother, Savage Oppress. Thanks to magic and cybernetics, Maul recovered and decided to take revenge on Obi-Wan.
The Sith fighter reappeared again in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), revealing himself as the mastermind behind the powerful crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. Maul last appeared in the series Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018), where, at the end, he was defeated by Obi-Wan once more.
When will Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord be released?
The new Star Wars series premiered on Disney+ on Monday, 6 April 2026. The series consists of 10 episodes – the last two will be released together on Monday, 4 May 2026, Star Wars Day.
Star Wars: The Rise of Maul episode release schedule
Two episodes of the new Disney series will premiere every week:
- Episode 1, 2: Monday, 6 April 2026, 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST
- Episode 3, 4: Monday, 13 April 2026, 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST
- Episode 5, 6: Monday, 20 April 2026, 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST
- Episode 7, 8: Monday, 27 April 2026, 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST
- Episode 9, 10: Monday, 4 May 2026, 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST
What’s the plot of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord?
The animated series will kick off right after the events of The Clone Wars, and will be centred on the planet Janix:
Set after the events of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” this pulpy adventure 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 for revenge.
In the official trailer, you can catch a glimpse of the extraordinary locations where the series is set.
According to the series’ executive producer Matt Michnovetz, Janix is a truly exceptional planet:
It’s one part Gotham, one part Metropolis and a hundred percent Star Wars with all these different levels and layers. It’s a city essentially built into a crater on this planet that is untouched by the Empire. It’s got a functioning democracy and law enforcement doing a good job of policing their own community. It’s a rich environment for crime and gangsters, but so far there’s been a very peaceful accord between all of them in the interest of business.
Here’s the first teaser for the show:
Who’s starring in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord?
Here’s the confirmed cast:
- Sam Witwer as Maul, a former Sith lord from the planet Dathomir
- Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, a Twi’lek Jedi, Maul’s new apprentice
- Wagner Moura as Captain Brander Lawson, a respected police detective
- Richard Ayoade as 2B0T “Two-Boots”, a droid who is Lawson’s partner
- Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki
- Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario
- Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson
- Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, Maul’s ally who led the Super Commandos during the Clone Wars
- David W. Collins as Spybot
- A. J. LoCascio as Marrok, a Jedi-hunting Inquisitor
- Steve Blum as Icarus
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