STAR WARS: MAUL - SHADOW LORD Star Sam Witwer Talks Timeline and Teases the Dark Tone

Sam Witwer, the longtime voice of Darth Maul, just revealed when the recently announced animated series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord takes place in the ever-expanding Star Wars timeline, and it sounds like we're heading into some seriously bleak territory.

Speaking with Collider at Star Wars Celebration, Witwer confirmed that the animated series picks up one year after the events of The Clone Wars. That means it’s set during the murky aftermath of Order 66, as the Empire tightens its grip and the galaxy spirals into fear and confusion.

“This is a year after The Clone Wars,” Witwer explained. “You have a situation where everyone got destroyed by the Clones, and Maul’s organization didn’t really hold under that pressure. He still has a group with him, but it’s not like it was, and so it was devastating in that way.

“Everyone is very afraid. Everyone is very uncertain. But he is watching an empire that he knew was coming, but he wasn’t thinking it was going to be like this. He was in on his master’s plan, but only partially.”

So, if you’re trying to plug this into the timeline, it’s after Episode II but still before Episode III, though it leans into the darker corners of that era more than we've seen before.

Witwer went on to tease the tone of the show, hinting that it’s taking Star Wars storytelling into more intense territory.

“It’s a little bit more dangerous in the way that it looks and sounds and feels. We’re going a little bit further than we’ve gone before.”

This is also Witwer’s first time reprising Maul since Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales in 2021, though his most celebrated performances come from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels, where he brought layers of pain, vengeance, and tragic depth to the character.

The loglione for the new series reads: “After the Clone Wars, Maul plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. In a new series set after the events of the final season of The Clone Wars, Maul rises again to lead the underworld factions.”

Witwer added: “He’s dusting himself off a bit. We learn some different things about this character. He’s got some different traits that you wouldn’t necessarily think he has that make perfect sense from what he’s been through.”

I’ve enjoyed the story arc Lucasfilm has explored for Darth Maul and I’m excited to see what this new animated series has in store for him.