By George & Josh Bate
In the penultimate issue of Star Wars Insider, Sam Witwer gives an insightful interview as he dives into the upcoming animated series Maul – Shadow Lord. Premiering April 6 on Disney+, the latest Star Wars show finds Witwer reprise his role as the former Sith lord as he embarks on a new mission in a rapidly changing galaxy.
In the interview, Witwer explains Maul’s motivations in the show, how he has changed since The Clone Wars, his unexpected stance on the Jedi, the role Savage Opress will play in the series, the mandate Dave Filoni gave the creators of the show, fascinating behind the scenes details, and more.
What are Maul’s state of mind and motivations in Maul – Shadow Lord?
Having played Maul for 15 years, Sam Witwer perhaps knows the Sith Lord-turned-crime lord better than anyone. As such, the Illinois native is a resident expert on all things Maul, including how the character has changed (and stayed the same) in the new series.
“He’s confused, and a little apprehensive,” Witwer explained. “We pick up after The Clone Wars. The Empire has taken over, and Maul’s reassessing everything. There were plans in place that were supposed to insulate him from the changes when the Empire came to power, and a lot of the people that were supposed to be there for him were not. He’s getting back on his feet, the dust is clearing, and he’s looking around at the Empire— the thing he and his master had been working toward since he was an apprentice—and thinking, ‘Is this what Palpatine had in mind? How do I feel about this?’”
Witwer elaborated on Maul’s new stance toward Palpatine. “He’s very angry at Palpatine,” revealed Witwer. “He understands now that that guy is the root of his suffering. In Shadow Lord he sees it even clearer. Everywhere he looks in the Empire, he sees Palpatine’s hand. If Maul’s going to shake his fist at him, he has to believe he’s somehow superior to Palpatine. If he’s not, then he deserves everything that happened to him.”
“He’s still the same ruthless, dangerous figure in the new show – if you cross him, you’re done.”
Witwer reveals that, as Maul begins to reasssess the Empire that Palpatine has forged, he pursues ambitions of his own. “In the opening episodes, you see him pulling strings, trying to build a new power base,” detailed Witwer. “His plan is ambitious, but he struggles with whether he’s the puppet master or the guy who goes and take care of things himself. He doesn’t delegate well. He’s so used to being the one who handles everything personally that he often still goes to do it when maybe he shouldn’t. Delegation is very difficult. He doesn’t trust easily.”
Although he doesn’t trust easy, Maul relies on the Mandalorian Rook Kast (voiced by Vanessa Marshall) as his first lieutenant. “Rook Kast is his first lieutenant, and their relationship is interesting because Maul actually listens to her,” Witwer said. “He’s learned that people have valuable points of view and that, unlike Palpatine, he needs to hear bad news sometimes. So, he’s figuring out what it really means to be a shadow lord.”
Witwer discusses how Maul’s psyche has evolved in the new series, but that “he is still the same ruthless, dangerous figure in the new show – if you cross him, you’re done.”
How Maul’s Conflict with Ahsoka in The Clone Wars Season 7 Forever Changed Him…..
The last time we saw Maul was in the acclaimed “Siege of Mandalore” arc of The Clone Wars. Defeat at the hands of Ahsoka Tano marked just the latest stumble in Maul’s grand plans for the galaxy, and it seems that this defeat has had a lasting impact on the Zabrak.
“He told the truth to Ahsoka [about Palpatine’s plans],” discussed Witwer. “Everything he said was true, and he was the only character who had a workable plan when the Empire was about to come to power. He just blew the pitch.”
“This show is bad guys versus worse guys, and Maul’s on the bad-guy side of that equation.”
Witwer continued, “In this new series, he’s learned to fight in other ways, too. He’s learning to use words, manipulation, persuasion. He’s realizing there’s responsibility behind every action. That’s new territory for Maul.”
Maul’s Surprising New Stance Toward Jedi: “Boy, We Could Use a Jedi Knight or Two”
When introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Maul fervently hated the Jedi. One of his few lines of dialogue in the entire film was used to express his desire to “have our revenge” and defeat the Jedi once and for all. And yet, despite all the problems Maul has faced at the hands of the Jedi, he views them differently in Maul – Shadow Lord.
He was trained to hate and destroy the Jedi without ever questioning it,” Witwer said. “Now he’s looking at the galaxy going, ‘Boy, we could sure use a Jedi Knight or two.’ At least with the Jedi you knew where they stood. There’s something to respect there. This Empire, he sees no values there, just the naked grab for influence, power, and money. Principles are gone. And he looks at that with a certain level of distaste. He may not have agreed with the Jedi Knights, but at least they had principles. You knew who you were dealing with and you could reason with that. There’s no reasoning with the Empire.”
Savage Opress’ Role in Maul – Shadow Lord Revealed
Maul has experienced tragedy after tragedy in his lifetime, but few compare the devastation fostered by the murder of his brother Savage Opress at the hands of Darth Sidious. In the Star Wars Insider interview, Witwer explained how Maul has not forgotten Savage in the new series.
“You don’t dare bring this character back unless there’s something interesting to say.”
“He’s exploring who he is and also thinking about his brother, Savage Opress, his first apprentice and family,” said Witwer. “Did he treat him as well as he should’ve, considering how loyal Savage was? No. But now he’s finally assessing that and realizing, ‘I failed him.’”
Dave Filoni’s Mandate for Maul – Shadow Lord and Sam Witwer’s Unique Creative Role
Supervising director Brad Rau, head writer Matt Michnovetz, and executive producer Athena Yvette Portillo, amongst others, seemingly recognized that Witwer has more to offer in the new show beyond his voice acting.
In the new interview, Witwer explained that he and other creatives developed a subplot that was originally not in the script. “We built this subplot that wasn’t in the scripts and what came out of it is one of my favorite things we’ve ever done with the character,” Witwer revealed. “It’s strange, emotional, and absolutely Star Wars.”
Witwer’s behind-the-scenes role was further explained as the actor revealed he flmed live-action footage for the Lucasfilm Animation visual artists to animate. “We’ve tried things you wouldn’t imagine, like me shooting reference footage for complex, emotional scenes, so the animators see how my eyes and expressions worked,” said Witwer.
Series creator and executive producer Dave Filoni, who was recently announced as the new Co-President of Lucasfilm, gave one mandate to Sam Witwer and the rest of the creative team for Maul – Shadow Lord. “Dave Filoni gave us the mandate to do everything better: acting, scripts, story, cinematography, sound,” Witwer stated. “He told us to push everything further.”
Witwer concluded the interview with a resounding statement that is sure to get even the most skeptical of Star Wars fans excited for the new series. “We all wanted to make this the best thing we’ve ever done.”
Star Wars Insider #236 is out now. Subscribe to receive the final issue here.
