A new Star Wars series follows former Sith Lord Maul as he plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate after being cast aside by Darth Sidious. Maul – Shadow Lord draws on unexplored periods in the character’s history, focusing on his rise in the early years of Emperor Palpatine’s reign.
The animated sci-fi show is streaming on Disney+ from next week (6 April 2026). New episodes will be available in pairs every Monday, with the finale releasing on Star Wars Day, May the 4th. The original franchise, created by George Lucas and released in 1977, redefined cinema by blending mythic storytelling with groundbreaking technology.
The new series places Maul on Janix, a planet untouched by the Empire. Here, 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.
“Maul is a character that’s our responsibility,” series creator and Lucasfilm president and chief creative officer Dave Filoni told StarWars.com. “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 honouring that future that we were going to have and finally bringing some of it to light.
“I wanted the style to be a bit more aggressive, a bit more edgy, a bit more painterly than everything we had done. I wanted the renders to be reflective of Maul and his aggressive nature. Everything’s a little bit more chewed, a little bit more expressive than it was in Bad Batch and Clone Wars before it. So it’s an extension of that style, but just a little bit more intense.”
Maul is voiced by Sam Witwer, who has portrayed the iconic role for over a decade. The cast and their characters include Gideon Adlon (Devon Izara), Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Wagner Moura (Brander Lawson), Richard Ayoade (Two-Boots), Dennis Haysbert (Master Eeko-Dio Daki), Chris Diamantopoulos (Looti Vario), Charlie Bushnell (Rylee Lawson), Vanessa Marshall (Rook Kast), David W Collins (Spybot), AJ LoCascio (Marrok), and Steve Blum (Icarus).
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is based on thecharacters created by George Lucas. The series is developed by Filoni and Matt Michnovetz. Brad Rau is supervising director. The executive producers include Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Michnovetz, Brad Rau, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes. Alex Spotswood acts as the co-executive producer.