A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, one of Star Wars’ most dangerous figures is stepping back into the spotlight. Lucasfilm has officially unveiled Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, a new animated series that follows Darth Maul during the rise of the Galactic Empire as he attempts to rebuild his influence from the shadows. While Maul has appeared in projects like The Clone Wars and Rebels, this series looks set to explore a far more isolated and grounded chapter of his story.

Unlike many recent Star Wars projects filled with galaxy-spanning conflicts and massive wars, Night Sovereign seems to take a more focused approach. The first trailer keeps the scale surprisingly contained, placing Maul in the middle of the criminal underworld, rather than another battle between Jedi and Sith. Set on the planet Janix, a world apparently untouched by Imperial control, the series features a city already drowned in corruption, violence and underground power struggles long before Maul arrives. Instead of restoring order, he appears ready to tear the whole system apart to rebuild his criminal empire piece by piece.

The footage shown at Star Wars Celebration also gave fans a closer look at the series’s darker tone. Red lightsabers, smoke-filled streets, crime syndicates, and brutal hand-to-hand combat all point toward a more ruthless side of Maul’s journey. Sam Witwer returns once again to voice the former Sith apprentice, continuing the performance that has become closely tied to the character across animation and gaming over the years.

Premiering on 6 April exclusively on Disney+, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated upcoming projects in the franchise. From its cast and release details to the story hidden behind Maul’s return, here’s everything you need to know about the series so far.

The first trailer for ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ immediately sets a different tone from the usual galaxy-spanning conflicts fans have come to expect from the franchise. Instead of massive space fights or another story tied closely to the Skywalker family, the series shifts its attention to the murkier corners of the galaxy, where crime syndicates, corruption and survival matter more than politics. The footage shown at Star Wars Celebration paints Janix as a dangerous city, layered with tension, glowing streets, underground power struggles, and people trying to stay alive as the Empire slowly tightens its grip across the galaxy.

Producer Matt Michnovetz described the setting by saying, “It’s one part Gotham, one part Metropolis and a hundred percent Star Wars with all these different levels and layers.” That comparison becomes obvious throughout the trailer, which feels far more grounded and street-level than most recent Star Wars projects. Set during the early years of Emperor Palpatine’s rule and before Maul’s return in Star Wars Rebels, the series explores a period where the Empire is growing stronger but hasn’t fully taken over every corner of the galaxy just yet.

Maul himself remains the main focus of the show. The trailer presents him as colder, calmer, and far more calculating as he rebuilds his criminal empire from the shadows. There are several glimpses of brutal lightsaber combat featuring his iconic double-bladed weapon, along with quick flashes of gang wars, tense negotiations, and violent confrontations scattered across Janix. Executive producer Matt Michnovetz also described the show as a “fast-paced” thrill ride inspired by the classic serial adventures that originally influenced Star Wars.

One of the biggest additions to the series is Devon Izara, a young Jedi Padawan who crosses paths with Maul during the turmoil on Janix. Devon, unlike many Jedi characters introduced in recent years, is formed by the aftermath of Order 66 rather than destiny or prophecy. Michnovetz explained that she is someone forced to accept that “the future she once thought she was going to have is no longer possible”, leaving her to steer a galaxy that has completely changed around her. Her relationship with Maul appears to be one of the emotional centres of the series, balancing innocence, survival and conflicting ideas of right and wrong.

Another detail that stands out in the trailer is the attention paid to Maul as a character rather than just a villain. Sam Witwer’s return anchors the series once again, and according to the supervising director Brad Rau, the team relied heavily on the actor’s deep knowledge of the former Sith apprentice throughout production. Rau described Witwer as “an awesome collaborator,” helping the writers and animators keep Maul authentic while still exploring new sides of the character that fans haven’t fully seen before. This approach appears throughout the footage, especially in quieter scenes, where Maul looks far more reflective and controlled than the rage-driven warrior audiences first met in The Phantom Menace.

Animation is also pushing the series’ visual side much further this time around. The production team revealed that traditional techniques, such as painted brushstrokes on glass and classic matte-style artwork, were reintroduced to give the series a more textured, cinematic appearance. Executive producer Athena Portillo explained that the goal was to “raise the bar” visually, while also improving facial animation and body movement to make performances feel more natural across the series. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord will run across 10 episodes over five weeks, beginning with a two-episode premiere on 6 April exclusively on Disney+ before building toward a finale arriving on Star Wars Day.

Lucasfilm is bringing together a strong lineup for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, combining familiar voices from across the franchise with several new additions stepping into the galaxy for the first time. Leading the series once again is Sam Witwer as Darth Maul, continuing the performance that has defined the character throughout The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and various Star Wars games over the years. From the first trailer alone, Witwer’s colder and more controlled version of Maul already feels central to the darker tone the series is aiming for.

Behind the scenes, the series is also backed by several familiar names closely tied to modern Star Wars animation.

• Created by — Dave Filoni
• Based on — Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas
• Developed by — Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz
• Supervising Director — Brad Rau
• Executive Producers — Dave Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Matt Michnovetz, Brad Rau, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes
• Co-Executive Producer — Alex Spotswood

Alongside Maul is Devon Izara, a young Jedi Padawan voiced by Gideon Adlon. The character appears to play a major role throughout the story as someone trying to survive in the aftermath of Order 66 while crossing paths with one of the galaxy’s most dangerous figures. The cast also introduces several new characters tied to Janix’s growing criminal underworld, Imperial conflict, and Maul’s expanding influence across the city.

• Maul — voiced by Sam Witwer
• Devon Izara — voiced by Gideon Adlon
• Brander Lawson — voiced by Wagner Moura
• Two-Boots — voiced by Richard Ayoade
• Master Eeko-Dio Daki — voiced by Dennis Haysbert
• Looti Vario — voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos
• Rylee Lawson — voiced by Charlie Bushnell
• Rook Kast — voiced by Vanessa Marshall
• Spybot — voiced by David W. Collins
• Marrok — voiced by A.J. LoCascio
• Icarus — voiced by Steve Blum

With a darker setting, a grounded story and a cast filled with experienced voice talent, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Prince is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious animated projects Lucasfilm has released in years. The series appears far more focused on crime, survival, and power than on the traditional Jedi-versus-Sith conflict fans are used to, which already helps it stand apart from other recent entries in the franchise. Between Maul’s return, the expanding criminal underworld on Janix, and the strong creative team behind the scenes, the series looks set to explore the dark side of the Star Wars universe.

‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ is scheduled to premiere on 6 April exclusively on Disney+. Lucasfilm confirmed that the series will have a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly releases across a five-week run leading up to its final on Star Wars Day. In total, the animated series will consist of 10 episodes, making it one of Lucasfilm Animation’s biggest releases in recent years.

The series comes to an interesting time for Star Wars. Shows like Andor showed that people still want stories that focus on characters and feel more real, but not all recent releases have been as popular. By focusing on Darth Maul and one specific time, the Shadow Lord series can tell a smaller, more personal story without huge galaxy-wide threats or constant links to the Skywalker saga. With its darker mood, crime-related setting and attention to character growth, the series already seems like a fresh new path for the franchise.