As the years go by, we continue to look back on some of Hollywood's biggest franchises only to see that they've gotten bigger over time. There are plenty of them too: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Jurassic Park movies, the countless DC films (including the Batman series alone), Terminator and so many more. And one of the most enduring of them all is Star Wars.
That franchise in particular features one of the most committed fanbases of all, and it's no surprise given how vast the world of Star Wars is and all of the legendary characters it has produced. That's even more true now that the saga's future reaches across film and television, with multiple beloved characters headlining their own projects in recent years.
As Lucasfilm brought audiences together at Star Wars Celebration Japan, a major announcement revealed that another significant figure in the lore is set to headline their own series.
Darth Maul to lead Star Wars animated series on Disney Plus
That's right; Star Wars' next animated series has been revealed! Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord will premiere on Disney Plus in 2026 and it will be headlined by none other than Darth Maul himself. Even better, it will serve as a spinoff to the legendary Star Wars: The Clone Wars, meaning that Sam Witwer will reprise his role as the infamous baddie from both that series and previous spinoff Star Wars Rebels.
Darth Maul is one of the film series' most notorious villains for multiple reasons. Not only was Maul involved in one of the franchise's most shocking death sequences, he made his live-action debut in the infamous prequel series, appearing in 2001's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Ray Park did a fantastic job in bringing him to life and he even reprised the role in 2018 prequel film Solo: A Star Wars Story. He also provided a motion capture performance for the character in Clone Wars' final season, so there is a good chance that his likeness will be used again in the upcoming series due to it being a spinoff / continuation.
Ever since Lucasfilm launched the Disney Plus arm of the Star Wars franchise, it has found success in highlighting particular characters in their own shows. The Mandalorian started it all, showcasing a brand new character who ended up becoming one of the most widely-recognizable people in the whole franchise (and he is now set to headline his own movie next year in The Mandalorian and Grogu). It also found success in cultivating new stories from characters who were prominent in the prequel movies. Ewan McGregor reprised his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Disney Plus series of the same name, while Hayden Christensen returned as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in Ahsoka.
Maul's return is just the next phase of that platform's ability to spotlight some of Star Wars' best characters and the show looks to do that. According to the announcement, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord takes place after the final season of Clone Wars and will see Maul rise again to lead some underworld factions.
We are (but also aren't) ready to see what adventures the former Sith takes us on.
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord premieres on Disney Plus in 2026.