Heading into Star Wars Celebration 2025, I thought the weekend would be a little quieter than the last convention I attended – London 2023. That was jam-packed with exhilarating panels and reveal after reveal: the blowout Lucasfilm panel alone announced three new movies, and that happened within the first two hours of the event.
But, two years later, those three movies seem no closer to release, and so, I thought Star Wars was going to take it easy on the announcements and stick to updates on the exciting projects already in the works: The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka season 2, and Andor season 2 all had dedicated panels on the schedule.
Imagine my surprise, then, when, in the opening minutes of the convention, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy brought Shawn Levy onstage, who confirmed his film will begin shooting this fall, that Ryan Gosling will star (followed by the man himself arriving onstage), and that it will be titled Starfighter.
After that, the pace of the weekend just didn't let up, with the rest of The Mandalorian & Grogu panel debuting some fun footage (and Grogu himself even made an appearance onstage), a whole episode of Andor season 2 being screened for a screaming audience, and the Ahsoka season 2 panel packing in so much news I could hardly keep up (Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker is returning for the next season, Admiral Ackbar will also feature, Rory McCann is stepping in for the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, and there was even a retro-style first look teasing battles across two galaxies).
But, the reveal that had me the most excited all weekend was also the one I expected the least: a Darth Maul TV show.
A shadow rises
The announcement of a whole new animated show came as a total shock to me, because I was convinced the promised news on the future of Lucasfilm Animation during the 20th anniversary panel would revolve around Tales of the Underworld, the next installment in the anthology series that includes Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire. Instead, after sharing an entire episode of Tales of the Underworld for the audience, the panel announced an entirely new show, which surprised me so much I said, "What?" out loud as the Celebration Stage went dark to play the trailer.
In the opening seconds of the footage, which teases a major bank heist, I was confused. Wasn't Tales of the Underworld also focusing on the galaxy's criminal element? What could this show be about? It was when I heard a set of familiar metal footsteps that it sunk in: this was about Darth Maul. At that realization, I genuinely cheered out loud.
As Clone Wars fans will know, Maul has been given an incredible second life by Lucasfilm Animation. Though the spiky Sith Lord was unceremoniously cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the climax of The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars resurrected him as a scowling warrior with an insatiable thirst for vengeance and designs on his own criminal empire.
Maul's episodes of The Clone Wars were some of my absolute favorites as I watched the show for the first time, because he's just such a fascinating character to watch. His complicated bond with his brother (and apprentice) Savage Oppress, his rivalry with Obi-Wan, his tortured past with Darth Sidious, and his time as ruler of Mandalore – culminating in a breathtaking duel with Ahsoka Tano as the Zabrak attempts to stop Palpatine's ascent to unlimited power – are all some of the most exciting storylines not just in The Clone Wars, but in all of Star Wars.
Rebels only deepened Maul's character, too, as he tried to recruit Ezra Bridger as an apprentice, before (spoiler alert) finally getting his duel with Obi-Wan and dying (again) at the wrong end of the Jedi's lightsaber in an oddly touching scene on the sandy plains of Tatooine.
Limitless potential
In short, animation did nothing less than completely reinvent Maul, a character we can all agree was introduced in The Phantom Menace as a seriously cool antagonist, but who was gone all too soon. It's at the point where I feel strange seeing Maul in live-action when I rewatch the movie, because he feels like he belongs to animation.
That's why I'm so very excited for Maul: Shadow Lord. The trailer sets up what looks to be a dark and intense storyline for the former Sith, once again centered on his quest for an apprentice. Though not much more is known yet, there's already so much promise in that alone – Maul has a complex history with apprentices, after all. Finding out what he was up to during the gap between Revenge of the Sith and the events of Rebels has me intrigued, too, because if there's one thing Maul is going to do, it's get himself into some situations (a guy doesn't become a Sith Lord, then a crime lord, then the ruler of Mandalore by slacking off, after all).
I'm not alone in being thrilled by the announcement, either, with the atmosphere in the Celebration Stage absolutely electric throughout the first run of the trailer. When Maul's voice actor Sam Witwer took to the stage, bathed in vivid red light, and demanded "Play it again" in that resonant deep voice, the crowd went even wilder. It was the biggest reaction of the whole convention (bar Christensen's surprise appearance at the Ahsoka panel, which had everyone, including me, leaping to their feet).
The reveal is also a reminder that Star Wars animation is absolutely essential to the saga. While the live-action movies and shows often get the spotlight, some of the most emotional, thrilling, and intelligent stories of Star Wars can be found in its animation. It's something the creatives of the saga know, too, with so many live-action storylines picking up on groundwork laid by the animated shows or introducing animated characters to live-action.
So, while I loved every second of this year's Celebration – and I can't wait for The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ahsoka season 2 in particular – the reveal that had grinning the widest was Maul: Shadow Lord. Who could have guessed back in '99 that one day an entire arena full of people would be screaming over Darth Maul's return? That's the power of Lucasfilm Animation.
Maul: Shadow Lord arrives in 2026. For more, see our guide on all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or check out our rundown of how to watch The Clone Wars in order.
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