Maul – Shadow Lord star Sam Witwer was honest about Season 2 and its pressures. CGI-animated series have been a staple of Star Wars' TV calendar for almost two decades since The Clone Wars began. One of the prequel trilogy gap-filler's biggest impacts on Star Wars canon was resurrecting Darth Maul, now voiced by Sam Witwer, who is currently leading his own sequel series, Maul – Shadow Lord, on Disney+. The series explores Maul rebuilding his crime syndicate during the Empire's reign, and fans already know they can expect more adventures with the former Sith Lord, as its Season 2 renewal was made public in April.
The Direct spoke exclusively with Maul – Shadow Lord star Sam Witwer, who addressed the Disney+ series' Season 2 release and the pressure it presents. When asked how long fans will be kept waiting for a second season, Witwer, who is also a credited consulting producer on the series, noted that fans won't have to "wait too, too long" and he even "[knows] when it's coming out," although that release window remains a closely guarded secret:
The Direct: "Obviously, everyone's loving Season 1, and we know there's a Season 2 on the way. How vaguely can you tease? How long are we going to have to wait to see this story continue?"
Witwer: "It's the usual development cycle... I know when it's coming out, but it's not a situation where the audiences will have to wait too, too long. But I think I am forbidden from saying what I know, but we are working on it. We've been working on it for a while, and it's interesting."
While Shadow Lord's second season was only just announced, Witwer's statement that the team has been "working on it for a while" confirms that there was always a plan for multiple Maul-centric seasons.
Turning back time in the galaxy far, far away, previous CGI-animated shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels were released annually. Even the more recent The Bad Batch, which is similarly a Disney+ original, dropped its first two seasons a year and a half apart, with the latter two seasons coming just a year apart.
Since Maul – Shadow Lord's sophomore outing is already in development, there is a strong chance that the show will be back on screens in 2027, especially after Witwer promised that the wait won't be "too, too long." A fall or late 2027 premiere for Shadow Lord Season 2 may be the best guess, although there's not enough precedent and information to make a confident release prediction.
The Maul actor was clear that he knew Shadow Lord "[had] the goods" before it was released but didn't quite anticipate the "passion" that audiences would have:
"When you do a show, you're doing your best, and for my part, I'm just kind of hoping we survive... My prediction for 'Shadow Lord' was, 'Yeah, I think we have the goods. I think we're gonna deliver a season that the fans will accept.' I did not necessarily see all of the passion and how hardcore everyone is locked into this show..."
He explained how the reactions to Shadow Lord have left a "tremendous responsibility" and pressure to "keep discovering new things:"
"But now that it's happened, I can tell you that the entire team, myself included, feels a tremendous responsibility to slam our foot into the gas and keep it moving... You just go, 'Oh my God, I have to work so much harder. What can I bring to it? What can be new? Oh, no, we have to keep discovering new things. How are we going to do this?' ... I'm a Star Wars fan, so I would like to see it continue. And so the pressure is on, I suppose. We want to tell good stories."
That sense of pushing the boundaries was equally important for the creator and Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni, who called on the Shadow Lord crew to "make this the best thing [they've] ever done" and to "push everything further."
While Witwer noted that this is "the kind of pressure you ask for," he described Star Wars as a "modern myth" that brings its own responsibilities:
The Direct: "Yeah, the best kind of pressure."
Witwer: "Yeah, I suppose. So, I guess it's the kind of pressure you ask for, right? You know, as someone in the entertainment business, the job is, in fact, to entertain, but also these Star Wars stories, I think, have a deeper responsibility, because it's a modern myth."
He suggested that Star Wars filmmaking is about "turning a mirror on people" to ask themselves key questions about their own lives and challenges:
"You know, it's turning a mirror on people and getting them to think about you know, how do you be an ethical, good person? How do you face your challenges? How do you arm yourself with wisdom, and how do you humble yourself in front of the challenges that life puts in front of you?..."
Having worked with Lucasfilm's animation division for almost two decades, Witwer discussed the need to honor what they inherited from founder George Lucas and the importance of "not [being] overconfident:"
"So, yeah. I mean, we all feel extremely honored to be able to tell Star Wars stories. So, we will continue to do our best and not be overconfident, and also just observe what George [Lucas] passed down to us. Because, again, this animation division, we've all been together forever, you know? I've known these people for going on two decades. So, yeah, it's a real responsibility, because I think it's a mythology that has a lot of value to it."
The first eight chapters of Maul – Shadow Lord are streaming, but Disney+ announced a strange strategy for the finale's release, which will take place on Monday, May 4, as part of this year's Star Wars Day celebrations.
