New Information Comes To Light About 2026 ‘Clone Wars’ Sequel Release
A familiar face is returning to the Star Wars galaxy. Darth Maul, the double-bladed Sith who became an iconic figure in the saga, will star in a new animated series on Disney+ in 2026.
The announcement came at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, confirming long-rumored plans to bring Maul back in an original animated series.
“During the 20th anniversary Lucasfilm Animation panel at Star Wars Celebration Japan, surprise guest Sam Witwer took the stage to reveal his return to the galaxy as the star of the next animated series–Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord,” StarWars.com reported.
“In a new series set after the events of the final season of The Clone Wars, Maul rises again to lead the underworld factions,” the site added. Attendees also got a first look at the series’ updated animation style through an exclusive in-room sizzle.
Fans have speculated about a Maul-centric Disney+ project for years. This reveal confirms Lucasfilm’s intent to explore his rise as leader of the Crimson Dawn and fill in the gaps before his appearance in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. “Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord is currently in production and will debut on Disney+ in 2026,” the announcement stated.
At Rebel Scum Con in August, Sam Witwer offered new insight into the series’ timeline. Shadow Lord unfolds immediately after the Clone Wars, during the early days of the Galactic Empire—a period previously only hinted at in Star Wars lore.
“It takes place shortly after the end of the Clone Wars,” Witwer explained. “So this is the very beginning of the Empire. And Maul, he was helping to make the Empire for a while until he quit working for Palpatine…this guy is looking around, going, ‘Is this what we had in mind? ‘Cause I didn’t think it was going to be this.’”
Witwer also emphasized Maul’s perspective on the changing galaxy: “Maul comes from a land of magic, and color, and knights, and dragons… now all of that is dead. And the magic and the colors [are] being sucked out of the galaxy by this mechanical, maniacal Empire… Maul is going like, ‘What happened to the Jedi Knights?’”
Rather than only chasing power, Maul: Shadow Lord presents the character as a tragic figure navigating a galaxy stripped of its wonder. Viewers can expect a complex Maul, torn between his past loyalties and a new, darker world order.
Introduced in Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace (1999), Maul, portrayed by Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz, became a standout villain. He killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) before being defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
Maul’s return in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by Sam Witwer, showed him crawling on mechanical legs, resurrected by his brother Savage Opress (Clancy Brown) and Mother Talzin (Barbara Goodson). He formed the Shadow Collective, clashed with Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and survived Order 66.
In Star Wars Rebels, Maul continued his pursuit of revenge, culminating in a final confrontation with Obi-Wan on Tatooine, where his death highlighted a fractured yet cunning character. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) brought Maul back as the Crimson Dawn’s elusive leader, portrayed by Ray Park and voiced again by Witwer.
Star Wars Celebration 2025 also confirmed Shawn Levy’s new film, Star Wars: Starfighter, set five years after Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019), starring Ryan Gosling. Production has started, with a May 28, 2027, release planned.
With Maul returning in Star Wars: Maul–Shadow Lord, Lucasfilm is revisiting one of the saga’s most complex figures and exploring a shadowed corner of the galaxy that has fascinated fans for decades.
