Sam Witwer says he was brought in to help keep Darth Maul consistent and authentic in Maul – Shadow Lord, the new Lucasfilm Animation series headed to Disney+. Ahead of the show’s debut, Space spoke with Witwer and Gideon Adlon about a project that follows Maul as he moves through the criminal underworld and tries to build power in the shadow of the Empire.
Witwer, who voices Maul, said the creative process has already turned into a running conversation with the team. “A little bit, yeah. They invited me to have some input to keep the character consistent and authentic... It’s been really fun to have discussions about this character again, and we have endless discussions now,” he said. Adlon plays Devon Izara, adding another piece to a series that is still being framed for viewers before its Disney+ arrival.
The show is being positioned as a bridge between The Clone Wars and Rebels, while also running alongside The Bad Batch. That makes it more than another standalone chapter in the franchise. It is meant to sit inside the larger Star Wars timeline and fill in the space around Maul’s rise after years of on-screen history in animation and other projects.
Witwer said Matt Michnovetz is the co-creator and head writer guiding the series, while Brad Rau is leading the writing staff and carrying out Dave Filoni’s structural vision. He praised Rau’s role in particular, saying he is the one with the vision for how the show is executed and describing him as the filmmaker driving the production. Witwer also pointed to Athena Portillo as playing a key role as producer and executive producer.
That setup matters because Maul – Shadow Lord is trying to do two things at once: preserve a familiar character and push him into a new corner of the galaxy’s criminal life. The result, based on what Witwer described, is a series built as much on continuity as on reinvention. For fans, the immediate question is not whether Maul returns. It is whether the show can make that return feel necessary, and the creative team is clearly treating that as the task ahead.
